The Backwaters
by Meercatwhisperer112
Summary: Tony Stark is 11, spending the summer in a backwater town with his kid cousin Pepper. While there he meets two runaways, two princes and two little boys whose home lives don't bear talking about. Is it possible that he could have friends? Or will everything end in tears? kid!avengers, T for language and child abuse. Now complete
1. Chapter 1

**So, I've never written anything for the Avengers fandom before, and I wasn't really planning to- I like the movie, and I've read quite a few fics for it, but nothing really struck _me_- when I came across a story called 'Cartoon Physics' by Wolfbane17. I seriously recommend you guys check it out, I fell in love with it when I read it, and it just sort of set the cogs of my mind spinning. It's a fill for a prompt from the Avengers kink meme, and I've decided to give my take on it.**

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

**This is really different to my usual writing style, but it's sort of how the story flowed, so I went with it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony Stark's eleven years old when the threat comes through. Pay a pre-ransom or risk him being taken hostage. He has a security team to follow him, but security teams can fail. He knows that. He's experienced it, twice before, locked in cold dark places until he worked his way out. After the first time, when he was five, he asked why no one came for him; Howard told him that only those who can escape themselves deserve to be free. Howard isn't going to pay the pre-ransom.

But, somehow, the press finds out, and now the light is shining on the Stark family, forcing Howard to act. Tony wonders if it's his mother- if she actually decided to do something for him instead of crying into a bottle every night. He hopes so.

So he's sent away, to some family of his mother's that she pretends she doesn't have, an aunt and an uncle and little cousin Pepper, none of whom he's met before. They live in the backwaters, in some crappy little country town, and he doesn't want to go, but when has he ever been given a choice?

He doesn't know anyone when he arrives, and though he's used to being lonely there's no circuit boards here. No robots, no gadgets, nothing to _do_. So he offers to pay Pepper five bucks a day to hang out with him and show him around, and she agrees with a smile, freckly face lighting up. He groans to himself at the thought of being stuck with his kid cousin all summer, but it's better than no one, at least that's what he tells himself.

He mentions to his aunt that he's bored, and she smiles and giggles nervously and suggests he goes fishing. He asks himself if she's scared of him, and the immediate answer is yes, because he's the boy who has it all, and she's stuck looking after him for the simple reason that no one says no to Howard Stark.

He groans again and leaves, but tells Pepper that they're going fishing. She smiles again, because she never does anything _but_, at least it doesn't seem like it, and grabs two poles and a bucket of worms that make him wrinkle his nose in disgust because _yuck!_ The path through the woods is dusty, and he can feel sweat begin to bead on his forehead, but he doesn't mention anything, not when she looks so damn happy just to be out here.

The lake is big, bigger than he expected, and smooth as a mirror, the only pristine thing he's seen in the trash filled dumping ground that is the dilapidated old town. Pepper shows him how to put the worms on the hooks, and he feels a bit stupid being shown by an eight year old, because who has missile plans memorised but doesn't even know how to fish? Pepper isn't judging him, but he can still hear Howard's voice in his head, telling him he's a failure, and he snaps at her in frustration. The happy smile fades, and her large eyes fill up with tears.

"Oh, Pepper, don't-" he starts, perhaps planning on apologising, but is cut off when Pepper screams. He turns around to see a boy, about ten years old, dangling from a tree, eyes wide and panicked.

"Shush!" hisses the boy theatrically, and then Tony's on his feet, between Pepper and the boy demanding to know _why_ they're being spied on and _who are you?_ "I was playing a game!" the boy tries to explain, "and then I heard you coming and I was scared that you'd be looking for me, so I hid in the tree, and you can't tell anyone I was here, okay?" Pepper nods eagerly, but Tony's still suspicious.

"Why would we be looking for you?" The other boy looks around nervously, and makes them promise, triple pinkie wear to never tell anyone, because he and his brother ran away from home! Only now his brother is missing, and he can't let anyone find him.

"Why'd you run away?" It's Pepper, wondering why someone would want to leave their parents behind, and Tony and the other boy share a look. It's a look of understanding, of knowing the other person knows what you know, and in that moment they trust each other.

"What's your name?" asks Tony, and the boy's name is Clint, he's ten years old. They talk for a long while on the shore of the lake, both determinedly avoiding the topic of home, because Tony's not allowed to tell anyone who he really is, lest the kidnappers find him. When it's time to go, a thought occurs; "are you hungry?" Clint hesitates, before nodding eagerly. Tony and Pepper leave with promises to come back tomorrow, and this time to bring food.

"Catch anything?" his aunt asks eagerly, and Tony doesn't bother answering, mind too wrapped up in this new development. He's silent all through dinner, and when his uncle announces

"Bedtime!"

he cannot get to sleep. Instead he lies awake and stares at the ceiling, thoughts for once not preoccupied with wires and software and Howard's approval, but an actual human being who wasn't his father. It's a novel experience to say the least, as is knowing another boy his age that he likes, but it's not unpleasant. No, it's not unpleasant at all.

It's as he's lying awake, thinking of his new... friend? Perhaps... that he hears the noise in the kitchen. A soft, scuttling noise. _Perhaps the shack has rats_ he thinks to himself, but then there's a muffled curse. His brain is on red alert now, whirring quickly. He knows he should go and wake his aunt and uncle, but what they can do? What can they do they do other than get hurt? It's much better if Tony handles this, takes control of the situation. That's what he tells himself, but he's frozen stiff, terrified at the prospect of being locked up again in cold little rooms with grown men jeering at him from above. Then a muffled thud echoes through the house and he realizes that if he doesn't do something soon, Pepper might wake up and look to see what's going on. Pepper...

The though spurs him into action, and he pads down the stairs, clutching a screwdriver as a weapon. He opens the kitchen door, and is met with a startled porcelain face and a shock of flaming red hair before the figure that was rooting around in the fridge vanishes back out the window. Tony feels like he's about to collapse in relief. Not kidnappers. Burglars. Burglar, he corrects himself, and a girl one at that. Somehow the idea has never occurred to him before. He shuts the fridge and heads back to bed, heart still pounding. This time, despite the fright, he manages to get to sleep.

"We're going fishing again," he announces the next morning, Pepper standing eagerly at his side, trying to hold the poles upright in her tiny little arms. "And we'd like a picnic."

"Isn't that nice?" his aunt flusters, immediately preparing sandwiches. It looks like enough to feed an army, and Tony wonders how much this family is being paid to house him. Probably a few thousand; maybe ten. Barely anything in the eyes of his father and the kidnappers, but a king's hoard to this family, in their little wooden house that- as he had grimly noted- doesn't even have an AC, only fans in the corners. "Have fun!"

The journey to the lake feels much quicker this time, and Tony wonders if it's because he isn't internally dreading it or if he's actually physically walking faster with anticipation. He glances to the side and realizes it's the latter, Pepper's little legs trotting along to keep up. He feels a bit guilty at making her carry everything, but by the end of the summer she'll be several hundred dollars richer, so he convinces himself it doesn't matter.

"Clint?" he calls once they arrive. "Clint? We're back! And we brought food!"

"Clint?" Pepper's voice joins, little voice much higher than Tony's. "Cli-" she leaps back in fright as Clint's head appears from under the pier they were standing on. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," mumbles Clint, before looking around shiftily. "Can you keep a secret?" Tony raises an eyebrow because _haven't they already been over this?_ but he and Pepper both nod anyway. "Good," grins Clint. "Pepper, Tony, I'd like you to meet Natasha." Another head pops up next to the first, full of flaming red hair and porcelain white skin and _it's the burglar from last night!_

She is clearly just as surprised to see Tony, and Clint is surprised to find out that Tony is the one who caught her (because no one's ever caught her before, normally she's very good), while Pepper is surprised to find out someone broke into her house last night.

And they have to laugh at this, at the little girl's indignation at Tony for keeping her out the loop, but the laughter dies when said girl turns to Natasha, already fondly nicknamed Tasha, and asks

"so you're a runaway too?" Tasha nods, face closing off, and Tony resists the urge to make kissy faces as Clint slings a comforting arm around her. Instead, he shifts and leans forward and asks

"Mental or physical?" Both runaways look at him in confusion and he ploughs on, already scared of the consequences of his question, "because mine are mental. They don't talk to me, and I'm never good enough. Mental or physical?" And both of them look upset and angry at being asked. Clint stands up and takes his shirt off, and Tony can see scars crisscrossing his back, most likely from a belt. Tasha spits on the ground and turns to him with bitter eyes.

"Try door number three," she murmurs. It takes Tony a moment to understand, but when he does his stomach clenches, because he's heard about things like that, but he never _imagined this_. They say no more on the topic, because Pepper's too young to know about these things, and instead eat their sandwiches and talk about safe things, like fishing, something which Tony and Pepper have yet to actually do.

"Where are you sleeping?" he asks when they are once again getting ready to leave, and Tasha and Clint shrug and admit to just on the ground, just anywhere really, it's warm enough now that it's the summer. They promise to come back tomorrow with more sandwiches, and the two runaways nod, eyes barely daring to be hopeful.

Three days later finds Tony and Pepper walking through town to the local dollar store. Pepper's plastic flip flops slap against the hot asphalt while Tony's designer leather sandals are silent. Yesterday, when asked, Clint admitted to not having any shoes, so Tony and Pepper are going to buy some. Tony would just give him a pair, but, although they are the same height and Tony is a year older, Clint's feet are bigger. Instead, they are on their way to the dollar store, Pepper trying to convince Tony that Clint really would like pink shoes; somehow, he doubts it.

It is on their way back, Pepper clutching shoes and both of them happily slurping on popsicles that they come across a boy who Pepper tells Tony is called Steve Rogers and is twelve years old. Steve is nursing a cut lip and sporting a very impressive black eye, curled up in the shadows of an alley. Before Tony can usher Pepper away, she's already invited him to come to the lake with them. Tony angrily hisses that they don't know if they can trust him, to which Pepper simply responds

"He goes to church every Sunday, and mama always says you can trust someone who goes to church every Sunday." Steve drily replies that the boys that did this to him go to church on Sunday too. Tony still doesn't like the idea, but Pepper is adamant that Steve should join them, and so he does.

Clint and Tasha are also wary of Steve at first, Clint maybe more so, but he seems like a nice enough guy, even if he and Tony are always getting under each other's skin. As the oldest, Steve's a bit bossy, which Tony doesn't take well too. Tony is quick witted and insulting, something that Steve doesn't like. Clint tends to side with Tony while Tasha helps Steve, voices raising louder and louder until Pepper jumps in the middle and yells at them to STOP!

Despite this, Steve starts accompanying them to the lake every day, where they talk and laugh and pretend to fish. He often arrives beaten up, having taken on a gang of teenagers torturing a cat or stood up to someone called Ross who was bullying a boy five years younger than him. Seeing these injuries, Tasha sighs to herself and begins fixing them up as best as she could with a first aid kit Tony and Pepper nicked from a store while Clint calls him a dumbass for picking fights he can't win. Steve's reply is always the same, however:

"What am I supposed to do? Lie back and let it happen?" Tony argues that perhaps he should, seeing as he isn't changing anything, only getting himself hurt. Steve just shakes his head to that, and then arrives again the next day with a bloody nose and fingerprint shaped bruises all down his arm, physical proof of a particularly nasty Chinese burn. Pepper thinks he's a hero. Tony thinks he's an idiot. Clint and Tasha quietly agree that maybe he's both.

* * *

**Sooooo... love it? Hate it? Any OOCness? Drop me a review, I read and love them all!**


	2. Chapter 2

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

Given Clint's initial mistrust of Steve, Tony is surprised when the next addition to their ragtag group is brought by him. He and Pepper arrive at the lake with the usual sandwiches and this time some ice too, because Pepper heard that Steve's been beaten up again. Steve arrives a few minutes later, with a swollen and cut lip that looks like the result of a particularly nasty punch. Tony begins to mock him as Pepper gently dabs his wounds with the ice.

It takes a few minutes for Clintasha (as Tony has taken to calling them in his head) to arrive, and when they do it is with a third person, a little boy with shadows under his eyes and bruises on his arm.

"_Another_ runaway?" asks Tony drily, because really, how many runaways can one forest hold? Clint, however, shakes his head as Pepper's attention is diverted and she starts to feed the little boy.

"Tasha was showing me how to break into people's houses," he explains in a low voice, ignoring Steve, who has opened his mouth to- once again- voice objections to that little habit. "And we heard drunk angry shouting, and when we peeked in we saw him, and I just..."

"That's Bruce," Steve realises, voice coming out oddly around the ice that he's holding to his face. "He's the kid Ross has been messing with!"

"Well, now you can both get beat up together," Tony mutters. "Hey, kid- Bruce- have you been here all night?" Bruce nods, looking scared of the amount of people closing in around him. Pepper catches on to this, and pushes them all back a bit, but Tony hasn't finished talking. "Aren't your parents going to worry?"

"My mother will," Bruce mumbles, and they don't need to ask about his father. They can see it in how he carries himself, like how Clint carries himself, but Bruce is so much shyer and so much more reserved. Steve is all for going to the police, but at the very mention Bruce has a panic attack so bad that it takes a good half an hour of Pepper soothingly petting his head, like one would pet a kitten, to calm him down. Nothing more is said on the subject after that.

Bruce is nine, ten in two months, but very small for his age, almost as small as Pepper, who is unhappy at still being the youngest. The others carry on with their normal conversation as they leave her to deal with him, knowing full well that she can get him to open up the fastest. They're right, of course, and to Tony's surprise it only takes three peanut butter sandwiches and a bottle of pop (as all these backwater kids call it) before Bruce begins to relax around them.

Tony is delighted to find out that Bruce is smart, almost as smart as he is, and they quickly become absorbed in each other's conversation. Bruce's dad, like Tony's, is a scientist, though Bruce's dad does work in physics and Tony's dad does work in weapons. Tony promises to bring his notebook down tomorrow to show Bruce some of his ideas, and Bruce nods. When the others leave to go home he follows despite Clint's protests. He is not brave like Clintasha. He cannot run away.

The next day Tony, true to his word, brings in the notebook to show Bruce who, much to everyone's delight, has brought a deck of cards. The notebook full of weapon outlines and ideas for missiles and grenades is quickly forgotten as Clint eagerly teaches them how to play bullshit. They laugh at Steve's refusal to use the word; he insists on saying cheat instead, something that Pepper thankfully copies, as Tony doesn't know if his aunt's fear of him extends to not getting mad if the little girl starts swearing around the house. Tasha, it turns out, is a master of keeping a straight face, and after losing to her eight rounds straight the others declare she must be cheating, to which she replies of course she is, that's the point.

They decide to switch to blackjack, but that ends just as badly as Tony and Bruce both count cards; they don't mean to, their brains just work too fast. Clint throws his hands up in frustration with a loud declaration of

"Well, then, what can we play?!"

Eventually it is agreed that they will play bullshit, but that Tasha is only allowed to join in every other game, something she grudgingly agrees to.

It isn't until the other four leave that Clint and Natasha realize Tony's forgotten his sketchbook, left it face down in the mud. Flicking through, they ignore the stuff they can't understand and focus instead on what they can- drawing after drawing of weapons of mass destruction. Tasha hates it, wants to burn it and never talk to Tony again, because _who can be friends with someone like that?_ but Clint stops her. None of them know much about each other, content to pretend their home lives don't exist and to just chatter idly instead, but Tony's name is in the front cover of that notebook, his full name, and suddenly they understand why a rich boy like him is hiding out in the backwaters with his kid cousin.

Tony and Pepper arrive the next day, Pepper nearly dropping the fishing poles in her excitement to see Clintasha again, but Tony looks anxious. When Clint drops from the tree clutching his notebook, he asks how much the runaway looked through.

"Enough to know," Clint shrugs.

"You can't tell anyone," Tony warns, dark eyes wide with fear. Not only can he get kidnapped, but if Howard finds out he'd been so careless... well. Probably nothing like Bruce and Clint have had to face, but enough to scare him, badly. Tasha, however, easily alleviates these concerns.

"Easy there," she smirks, "you're not the only ones who can keep secrets, you know. Now, where's Bruce with the cards?"

Steve arrives a few minutes later with Bruce in tow, both of them bruised and bloody from Ross and his gang. Tasha gets to work on Steve while Pepper dabs at Bruce's face with a cloth and Tony resolves to nick another first aid kit next time he is in town. Clint and Tony lean back, each munching an apple as they watch the girls work.

"What happens if Tasha ever gets hurt?" Tony asks softly. As was intended, Clint is the only one to hear, and he brushes the question off with a nonchalant shrug.

"Tasha doesn't get hurt," is his reply, but that's not good enough for Tony.

"But what if she does?" he insists. Clint pauses, clearly having never entertained the possibility before.

"I suppose I would clean her up," he finally answers.

"But would you know _how?_" Clint is spared further questioning when Pepper bounces over, declaring that they're ready to start playing cards and _didn't she do a good job on Bruce's face?_ But before they can start, Bruce discovers the bucket of worms and insists that they let them go, because they never fish anyway and it's just cruel to do this to them.

"Okay," Tony shrugs. "Pepper, let them out." The little girl beams and nods and tips the bucket over, and they watch in fascination as the writhing mass slowly works its way into the ground. Suddenly there's a shout, because Clint put a worm down the back of Tasha's shirt and now she's going to _kill him!_

Steve tries to break it up, but Tony pushes him over and starts to laugh; Tasha's gotten a hold of Clint now and is repeatedly slamming his fist into his face with a loud jeer of

"Why're you hitting yourself?"

Bruce's face crumples on itself, and for a moment Tony is worried that he's going to cry, that this fighting has somehow set him off. Instead, he laughs, and carries another worm over to Tasha, who accepts it gratefully before rounding on Clint.

"Eat it!"

"What?" he cries, and the worm is shoved in. Tasha's hand locks over his mouth, but suddenly Clint pushes her off with a strength they didn't know he had, and runs to the bushes to throw up. The group of children pauses at the sound of his retching, and when he comes back his face is tear streaked. "That wasn't _funny!_" he shouts, and then stops, because Bruce and Pepper are both hugging him, little arms wrapped tight around his waist.

"I'm sorry," Bruce whispers, and Clint awkwardly pats him on the head, because although he's only a few months older, he's tall for his age and Bruce... well, isn't.

"It's okay, I'm mad at Tasha, not you."

"Don't be?" Clint looks at the face, darkened by bruises, hair unkempt and uncared for, and he doesn't have the heart to refuse the other's plea.

"Okay," he sighs, and Tony gives Steve a hand back up and Clintasha reluctantly apologise to each other and they all sit down for a game of cards.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so just realized I haven't done this, yet so**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Thanks to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed, and who has basically take the time to read this far. You're the best :)**

* * *

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

A few days later, and Tony and Pepper are back in town, this time to buy some chocolate for Clintasha, who apparently haven't had any in more than a month, when they run into two boys. One is stocky, with tangled blond hair reaching down to his shoulder, while the other is thin, with much paler skin and much darker hair.

"Look!" cries the blond, not making an effort to keep his voice down. "Why is a child of such finery with the Pott's girl?" Tony bristles at that, because no one, _no one_ was allowed to say anything against Pepper. Before he could snap back a retort, though, the dark haired boy cuts in.

"Brother," he says in warning to the blond, and then turns to Tony. "My brother means no disrespect; he has a bad habit of saying the first thing that comes to his head, regardless of consequences." Tony nods, tight lipped, and turns to walk away. Unfortunately for him, the brothers seem to be going in the same direction, so he and Pepper determinedly fall back. Pepper tells him in an awestruck voice that they're royalty, from some country in Europe, and that they spend every summer here to improve their English.

"Their English is fine, it's their attitudes I don't like," he snaps, though the brothers do speak strangely, in a rather old fashioned way. Pepper is silent for a moment, before hugging Tony around the waist. "What are you doing?"

"I'm glad you're here," is all she says. They turn the corner and Tony is about to press her for more of an explanation when a sudden cry catches their attention.

"Please, don't-" and then a yelp, high pitched and childish. It's Bruce's voice. Tony and Pepper push past the two _princes_ and peer down the alley that the shouts came from. There, backed against the wall, is Bruce, one arm being pulled painfully above his head by a boy that has to be fourteen at least. Every instinct is telling Tony to help, but this boy- who he assumes is the infamous Ross that Steve complains so bitterly about- is probably a head and a half taller than him, and looks angry to boot. He finally understands why Steve picks fights he can't win, because he can't do nothing. As he takes a step forward to confront the bully however, a blond blur shoots past him, and suddenly Ross is the one being pinned. Tony and Pepper immediately run forward to see if Bruce is alright and to comfort the sobbing child.

"What sort of coward picks a fight with those smaller than him?!" the blond roars, and Tony realises that despite being big, Ross is still probably a head taller than him. If this fazes him, he doesn't show it, and suddenly the older boy is reeling from a right hook that was almost too fast for Tony to see. "Be gone!" he shouts as Ross stumbles from the alley, "If I ever see you harm this child again, expect far worse than that!" He turns to Bruce now, and lowers his voice somewhat, though it is still far too loud to be reasonable. "Friend: are you alright?" Bruce nods shakily and Pepper beams up, and Tony sticks out his hand because he can't dislike him now that he's helped Bruce. That's just not how it works.

"I'm Tony," he says; "this is Pepper and Bruce."

"We are Thor and Loki Odinson," replies Thor, with a handshake that makes Tony wince. "Come! We shall buy discount produce together!" Loki nods at them, but remains silent, following his brother out the alley. Tony gestures to Pepper and Bruce to come with, and they go into the dollar store.

"Allow us to pay," says Loki when they are lined up at the counter, "to make up for my brother's earlier indiscretion."

"No need," smirks Tony, and though he's only eleven he pulls out the designer wallet he got for his last birthday. It was a gift from his parents, though he knows that- like always- it was Jarvis who had picked it out. Loki's eyebrows raise perhaps a fraction of an inch, but he doesn't say anything, nor does he mention it when he sees Pepper sneaking the first aid kit off the wall and out the store.

When they've all paid, they stand somewhat awkwardly on the pavement outside, not really sure how to proceed. Finally Pepper decides that she's had enough of this nonsense, and turns to the brothers.

"Do you want to come fishing with us?"

"But you have no rods," replies Thor in confusion.

"We're stopping by the shack on the way to the lake," Tony explains. Pepper frowns, having never liked Tony's nickname for her house, but she says nothing, glad that he didn't protest to them coming to meet Steve and Clintasha.

They grab an extra pack of cards when they pick up the rods and the now empty bait bucket. Bruce helps Pepper to carry the stuff, and Tony can't help but smile at the sight of the two of them, Pepper clutching one end of the rods and Bruce clutching the other, tiny legs trotting to keep up with the older children.

Clintasha pounce on the chocolate as Tony explains what happened with Thor and Ross, and once he's finished Steve shakes Thor's hand in thanks (Tony thinks he sees Steve wince) for standing up to Ross. Loki looks into the bait bucket and drily asks how they're planning on catching any fish, to which Pepper bashfully admits that no, they don't actually fish. Instead, they teach the brothers how to play bullshit, and it soon transpires that Loki is as good at Tasha. He wins about half the games they both play, and every game that she isn't involved in, and after six rounds he's banned from playing more than every other time as well.

Clint tells Tony about he was thinking, and it won't be summer forever, so could Tony use his vast intelligence (and perhaps some of his money, too, pretty please?) to help them build a shelter here in the woods? Tony is immediately silent, backing away, because it's just like his father said it would be and they only want him for his money. Clint doesn't seem to realize what is wrong, but Tasha catches on, and jumps to her feet.

"No, Tony, not like that; don't worry about that, we can use stuff we've found, we can nick some stuff, FOR GOD'S SAKE STEVE I DON'T CARE!" She rounds on the boy who, as she had expected, has opened his mouth to protest the theft. Tony is still trembling, eyes dark and troubled, and he snatches Pepper's hand and starts to drag her away when Loki's voice cuts in:

"My brother and I would be more than happy to cover the bill, friend Tony, to apologise for the events of earlier." Tony pauses, and Thor quickly nods his agreement.

"Tony," says Clint, finally understanding what this is about, "don't ever think that's why you're my friend. Okay? You never have to spend a dime on me- hell; you don't even have to bring sandwiches down anymore! Just don't go, okay?"

"Friend Tony?" asks Thor, and then Pepper is looking up at him with her massive eyes and her freckles all over everywhere.

"I don't want to leave," she whispers, and _okay fine_, Tony is grumbling but Pepper is smiling again, she never seems to do anything _but_, and everyone else looks relieved.

The next day Tony brings in his notebook, and while everyone else plays bullshit he and Clint plan out the shelter. At first Clint wants a tree house, a circular tree house that he can spy on people from, but Tony reminds him that they only have two and half months and eight prepubescent children to build it.

"Prepubescent?" asks Clint in confusion, but the point is made, and something much more sensible is sketched out instead, four metres by two metres by one metre, _that's three feet four inches, Clint_, with dirt packed on top of the roof and around the walls to keep it warm. Tony plans everything, down to the exact number of nails they needed. He shows it to the others and explains exactly how it will be built, which sounds simple enough.

"Are you going fishing again?" his aunt asks nervously as he opens the door the next morning. "Because if you still haven't caught anything I could lend you a book on fishing that was my father's-"

"No need," Tony cuts her off before leaving with Pepper. No matter what he feels for his little cousin, it does not change the fact that her parents are insufferable, vapid _fools._ Pepper either does not notice his rudeness or chooses to ignore it, and they walk into town where they find Steve and Bruce already waiting. Bruce is smiling, the first proper smile Tony thinks he's ever seen on him, and happily talks about how they bumped into Ross on the way down and how the bully practically ran away when he realized who it was.

Thor and Loki arrive a few minutes later, Thor eagerly waving his wallet around and jabbering on about something Tony can't be bothered to listen to. They arrive at the hardware store and he collects what they need in the trolley. Wooden planks, a pair of hinges, saws, nails, hammer, screws, a canvas and tar were all checked off the list.

"Tar?" asks Steve, confused; "What do we need tar for?"

"To paint that pretty head of yours," smirks Tony as Clint sniggers behind him. Tasha rolls her eyes and mutters to Steve to ignore them, while Thor frowns, unsure if 'friend Tony' is being serious or not.

There's almost a problem when it comes to the payment, as the man behind the counter argues that he can't possibly sell saws and hammers to children. However, Loki, with a casual indifference of one much older than he, simply slides Thor's platinum credit card across the counter and all the issues miraculously disappear. Tony has to suppress a sigh at that. His father is right: money really does control the world.

Thor and Steve, as the two oldest (both of them are twelve) carry the planks and most of the supplies, while Tony and Loki, both eleven, carry the tools. Bruce and Pepper bring up the rear, one clutching the bucket with the screws and one the bucket with the nails. It's a strange sight, but the presence of the Odinsons is enough of a deterrent that nothing is said.

The shelter Tony has planned is easy to maintain, very small, well insulated and waterproof- that was what the tar and canvas were for. As soon as they arrive at the lake Clintasha leap out, Clint from his tree and Tasha from under the pier, ready to get started on their new home.

Steve and Thor handle the sawing, while Clintasha and Loki are set to work digging the eight inch deep hole that it's to be set in, so it can't slide away. Tony and Bruce are the measurers, marking where things need to be cut and drawing in the angles, and Pepper is thrilled when Tony gives her the job of supervisor, complete with a clipboard. She runs around telling people what to do and fetching people sandwiches and bottles of pop when requested, before getting tired and sitting next to Bruce, content to just watch him work. Tony has the sneaking suspicion that she has a crush on him, despite his quietness. The thought makes him smile.

It is hard work, but it is good, and within three days of continuous labour the last nail is hammered in. It is small, rather like an overlarge dog kennel, and Tony supposes they could have just bought a dog kennel, but it feels so much better this way. They pack dirt over the top, and Clint explains how next spring it will be covered in grass, hiding it from everyone. Tasha is sceptical, but Tony reminds her that you get hillocks in Britain, so why not America?

Yes, but, Bruce chips in, aren't Hillocks generally much larger than a few feet up and a few feet wide? _Shut it_ and Tony isn't used to having someone as smart as him around, and normally he appreciates it, but not now, thank you very much. Steve reminds them that it doesn't matter, all that matters is that they have somewhere warm to stay, complete with a working door and everything! Yes, well, Tony's always been rather good at coming up with nifty ideas. Not usually with wood, certainly, but he likes to feel the warm glow of a job well done, and it comes so much more often here than it does at home. He supposes it's because of Pepper: she looks at him as though he runs the world and does it well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Did you miss me?**

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews, it really helps me to write, and I'm glad your liking my first foray into this fandom!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

The night they complete the hillock, as they've rather affectionately nicknamed it, Tony is just drifting off to sleep when a tapping noise startles him out of his reverie. He pauses, and there it is again-_thunk thunk thunk thunk_. He gets up and peers out the window: there stands Bruce, in nothing but a green night shirt and grey checked boxers, tears streaming down his face. Something inside Tony breaks a bit at the sight, and he hisses to _give him a second_ before creeping down the stairs.

However, his plans of simply letting Bruce in the front door are foiled by his aunt and uncle, who are sitting in the living room (the shack is too small to have an entrance hall) watching bad TV.

"What is it Tony?" worries his aunt, and he mimes drinking before turning away. He doesn't know why, but he never wants to waste words on these two bumbling idiots, and anyway, he has to think up another plan.

He goes to Pepper's room and wakes her up. They grab her skipping ropes- he doesn't know why, but she seems to have dozens, a big tangled mess of them, all badly made with broken handles- and tie them together to form a long rope, with knots every foot or two to use as hand holds. It's slow going, and there's a few nerve racking moments when he nearly falls, but eventually Tony is helping Bruce the window and into his room, where the younger boy promptly breaks down.

Though they all knew there was something going on with Bruce's dad, Tony is disheartened to find out he isn't the only one related to a drunk, and at least Howard isn't violent. Pepper gently rubs his back while Tony fetches him a glass of warm milk, earning him another quizzical stare from his aunt and uncle that he glares off.

Bruce drinks the milk in between deep shuddering gasps, and when he's finished Pepper wraps him up in her Snow White blanket and hands him a unicorn plush toy to cling onto, all the while combing her fingers soothingly through her hair. Tony isn't sure what to do, so he rummages through the stuff he packed and finds an adventure book he finished on the journey over. It's about two boys who grow up thieves on the streets in Russia, and Tony pulls Pepper and Bruce into bed with him, snuggle them close, and read to them until they fall asleep.

It's boiling with the two of them on either side of him, and though there is a breeze through the open window it is sticky and warm and does nothing to alleviate Tony's discomfort. Nevertheless, Tony doesn't want to risk waking up the two younger children, and so- since sleep is no longer an option- spends the night rereading the book. When Bruce wakes up he carefully climbs back out the window, only to immediately ring the doorbell and have breakfast with the two of them.

It's early, far too early for a visitor, but Tony scowls at his aunt, daring her to say something; thankfully she doesn't, and the meal passes without incidence.

Bruce brings the toy with him to the lake that day, and though Clint and Steve may raise their eyebrows, no one says anything. The next day Bruce returns with no toy, but a plethora of new bruises, and Tony's gut squirms at the pain he may or may not have caused the boy. Thor is horrified when, as Pepper dabs ice on Bruce's face, the rest of them explain the situation, or at least the little they know of it. Loki says nothing, but Tony thinks he may be horrified too; his expressions are usually unreadable, yet Tony can sense the dark haired boy has a fondness for Bruce, a trait they share. Bruce is given the bottle of pop that Tasha claims she doesn't want, and Clint offers to show him how to climb trees. Pepper's very eager for Thor to show her how to scare people off, and while Steve objects to showing the little girl violence, Thor argues that women can make the fiercest warriors. Tony and Loki sit to the side and watch as the normally very _together_ group of friends split off, and not into the usual pairs. Normally Clintasha were glued together, Pepper stuck with Tony at all times, Bruce hung around his hero, Steve, and the Odinsons were inseperable. Actually, that reminds him-

"Loki," Tony asks, "why do you and Thor call each other 'brother,' instead of your names?" Loki shrugs.

"It is a custom, where we live, to address one by their title: father, mother, sister, cousin... brother." The last word is said strangely, and Tony pauses, not sure whether he should comment or not. He's never been known for tact, however, and three weeks of hanging around with Pepper isn't going to change that.

"What's up?" Loki glances around, and drops his voice.

"Can you keep a secret, friend Tony?" Tony wonders _how many times are we going to have to go over this?_ but nods, and swears on his life not to tell a soul. "I was looking through some papers in Father's desk, trying to find out more about our stay here, and instead I found..." he pauses, swallowing hard. "I am adopted; Thor does not know, no one knows apart from my parents, and they do not know that I know. I am not Loki Odinson, but Loki Laufeyson. My father was a criminal, one of the most famous throughout our land." Tony does not know how to comfort, how to soothe, how to deal with another messed up friend, so he changes the subject instead.

"And what land is that?" An island called Asgard, up above the arctic circle, near to Norway it turns out, a small island full of small minded people, tenuously ruled by the Odinsons.

"It explains why Thor has always been the favourite child," Loki says bitterly, "but the last laugh shall be mine; the common man grows sick of our rule, and I've heard whisperings of an overthrow, complete removal of the ruling class, pure democracy as is enjoyed by you Americans." Tony barks out a laugh.

"Democracy? My father could _buy_ the next president!" Loki smirks at this, and just like that his dark mood is gone.

"Perhaps I shall join you, then; I would like to remain part of the ruling class even when we no longer bear our titles." Tony gives a mock bow.

"As you wish, your majesty." They both laugh, a sound so rare from either of them, let alone both, that it gives the others in the clearing pause, turning to see what was going on.

"What's so funny?" asks Clint, he and Bruce both dangling from his favourite branch.

"Cynicism and satire," Tony replies breathlessly. Bruce grins, but the rest just shake their heads, having long since learnt to let the geniuses be geniuses. They never thought to include Loki in that rank before, but if the boot fits... "Steve, why aren't you getting fighting lessons from Thor too, instead of just being a whiny grump?"

Steve opens his mouth to argue that, but is pulled up short when he realizes that it is, in fact, a very good idea. Thor beams, more than happy to help, and they begin to go through exercise routines, Pepper doing her best to keep up.

Tasha, who has been watching Clint and Barton in the tree, comes to sit with them, and suggests they play bullshit, an idea that Tony vehemently rejects. She snaps back that they certainly aren't going to be playing blackjack, and no one wants to play a baby's game like go fish. Loki mentions that he likes chess, and though they do not have a board Tony draws one out in the sand on the side of the lake while Loki collects pebbles, leaves and other various objects to serve as their pieces.

Loki and Tasha go first, and Loki beats her in five minutes. Tony and Tasha go next, and Tony beats her in four. Tasha huffs that she doesn't like chess anyways, and goes back to Clint and Bruce, while Tony and Loki start their match.

Half an hour later and both is frowning in anger and annoyance as they furiously try to outwit each other. Bruce, tired of climbing trees, watches in fascination as he tries to pick up the rules of the game. Though he has always wanted to learn chess, no one has ever taught him, so when the match ends in stalemate (Loki got all of Tony's pieces but failed to capture the king) they turn to teach Bruce. Pepper, absolutely exhausted, flops down to learn as well, large eyes even wider than normal as she tries to keep up with the geniuses. When Tony looks up Steve is smiling at them in a happy, content way, a smile that Tony doesn't think he's ever seen on the other boy's face. Though they often have their differences, Tony beckons to Steve to come join.

"After all, Pepper needs someone to play against who's on her level." With that one comment the calm friendliness is gone, but there is no anger in the small shove that Steve gives Tony, nor in the tongue that Tony sticks out in return. Tasha rolls her eyes at the pair of them.

"God save us from backwater prodigies," she mutters, and everyone but Pepper smirks at that- the youngest of them is too absorbed in trying to remember whether the castle moves straight or diagonally, and whether it is the leaf or the pebble that is actually the castle.

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**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Well, we have reached the grand total of ten reviews! :D Whoop whoop, party hard! I really appreciate it when you guys review, and could I please ask that you do, because this is unfamiliar territory to me, and I want to know that (if) I'm getting it right.**

**Okay, with that little sob story done, on to the chapter!**

* * *

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

One day, in the fourth week since he arrived, Tony finds himself walking down to the lake alone because Pepper has a dentist's appointment. He had made sure she was okay to walk down alone when she got back (she didn't remind him that it was her who showed him the way in the first place), before grabbing the two rods, the bait bucket and the picnic basket, and heading off.

Now, as he makes slow, sweaty progress along the dusty path, he wonders why they even bother to keep up the masquerade of going fishing. The rods are heavy and difficult to hold, and he's beginning to feel a bit bad for making Pepper carry them every day, there and back. He resolves to help her next time- he'll carry the picnic basket.

When he arrives at the lake it appears to be deserted at first, so he dumps the stuff and pulls of his sandals so can dangle his feet in the cool, clear water. It really was horribly hot, and humid too, probably more than a hundred degrees.

"Why don't we ever go swimming?" says a voice, and suddenly Clint is next to him, feet also submerged. Tony nearly has a heart attack, but when he recovers he rolls his eyes and cracks a grin.

"You've been hanging around with Tasha too much- you're turning into a ninja!" Clint grins back, and Tony notices how tanned his friend has gotten since the start of the summer. Now that he thinks about it, most of them are turning a healthy gold, with the exception of Loki and the two gingers, all of whom remain stubbornly pale.

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Clint tries to look offended, but quickly gives up. "I think you're just jealous, because you're as noisy as an elephant." Tony gives him a playful shove which nearly sends him toppling into the water.

"I'm not that noisy!"

"Oh really? Then I dare you to try sneaking up on Tasha!"

"No way!"

"I dragon dare you!"

"What the hell is dragon dare?" And Clint earnestly explains to him about different dares, and how if you double dare a person back then the darer has to go first, but if they try to refuse and you rainbow dare them then they have to do it twice, and if Tony refuses the dragon dare then he has to be Clint's slave for the day.

And Tony argues that that's not true, he doesn't have to, but according to Clint he has to follow the rules of dares, it's like being jinxed, hasn't he ever been a real kid before. Clint freezes as he says that, worried he may have crossed a line, because he knows they're all messed up in more ways than one, and Tony has mentioned before how he's never really known anyone his own age, but Tony just rolls his eyes and tells him that fine, but Clint has to give him his bottle of pop if he manages it. Clint agrees, and Tony sneaks into the Hillock and waits for Tasha to arrive.

She's there a few minutes later, and she sees the fishing poles, the empty bait buckets and the basket, and asks where Tony and Pepper are. Clint tells her they dropped something on their way up and have gone back to find it, and while Tasha seems a bit suspicious, she accepts it, and sits down next to Clint.

Tony slips out from the shelter and slowly, _oh so slowly and carefully_, creeps his way forward. There are ten metres between them. Then there are five. Finally, he's right behind her.

"Boo!" he yells, grabbing her waist, and it was a bad idea because in one fluid movement she leaps up, spins around, and punches him so hard he falls over backwards. He groans softly to himself as blood begins to pour from his nose. Tasha scowls when she realizes it was him, but also looks like she feels a bit bad.

"Well, it was your fault for sneaking up on me," she grumbles, going to get the first aid kit. Tony can see that Clint is trying to keep a straight face, something he is failing at miserably, and the genius sighs and tells him to just get it over with. The runaway bursts out laughing, going on about the look on Tony's face, and how he got beat up by a _girl_ (something he quickly shuts up about when Tasha returns to glower at him). When he finally finishes, face bright red as he gasps for breath, he grabs his bottle of pop from the basket along with his chocolate bar and cheerfully tosses them over.

When Thor and Loki arrive, Clint retells the tale, complete with over exaggerated gestures. Thor booms with laughter while Loki quietly smirks to himself, and both congratulate Natasha. Tony rolls his eyes; just because they fancy her _doesn't_ mean she's allowed to beat him up. Thor offers to teach him how to defend himself, an offer which Tony is more than glad to pass up.

Thor does not understand this. He does not understand why Loki and Tony would rather talk their way out of a bad situation then use their physical prowess to end a conflict then and there.

"It's called diplomacy and tact, brother." Loki sighs the sigh of someone who has heard this far too many times before. "I wouldn't expect you to understand." Thor argues that, what if it is someone who is determined to hurt him, like Ross had been with Bruce? Then they do not know how to fight, and they are helpless.

"Thor, ever heard of a little thing called money?" asks Tony. "You can buy your way out of pretty much every situation, provided you've got enough money. Which I do, and so does Loki." He does not mention how it can get you into a lot of situations too, how it was why he is even in this town at all, because he doesn't like to think that this, these friends and these lazy days by the lake, was caused by something so negative.

"Your money did not stop you from being defeated by Tasha," laughs Thor, and okay, touché.

However, the arrival of Steve and Bruce quickly stops the laughter, because Bruce is red eyed and sniffling, bruises covering almost every inch of his body. Steve is looking grim, and gives a small nod to confirm what they are silently asking: his dad got him again.

"Where's Pepper?" asks Bruce, looking around hopefully. Pepper's always the one to dab ointment on his bruises and put smiley face plasters on his cuts and dab ice on black eyes or cut lips. Afterwards she hands him a peanut butter sandwich, which Tony knows she makes herself while her mom is making the rest because it's got about three times as much peanut butter as the rest of them, and they go to play with the big kids.

Clint explains that Pepper's at the dentist, while Tasha dabs Bruce up. Afterwards, Steve hands him a peanut butter sandwich, but it's a normal one, not one of Pepper's special ones, and Bruce doesn't look much better.

"How about a game of chess?" Tony asks, trying to take his mind off things. "I brought a board with all the pieces." Bruce nods and begins to set it up while the others mouth _Thank you_ to Tony. He shrugs, because any one of them would have done the same for Bruce, just like any one of them would have done the same for Pepper. He likes to think that any one of them would have done the same for him, too.


	6. Chapter 6

**WHOO! I have the same number of followers as I do favourites, which I thinks is possibly a great thing! Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this, and especially those who review, particularly keepcalmandwrite, who has reviewed every chapter since s/he started reading.**

**This chapter is pretty much pure fluff, because I decided to give the poor guys a break :)**

* * *

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

The next day Tony and Pepper arrive at the lake with something extra. They've brought the forever ignored fishing rods and the picnic baskets filled with a good two dozen peanut butter sandwiches, eight bottles of pop and eight chocolate bars (Tony has no idea what his aunt thinks about the amount of food they go through, but he doesn't really care, either), and the bait bucket. However now, rather than be empty like it normally is, it has five pairs of swimming trunks and Pepper's swimming costume. When Steve arrives with Bruce in tow, they also both have their swimmers, as well as an old, over-sized t-shirt for Tasha to wear on her top half. Loki and Thor bear not only trunks, but also inflatable lilos, an inflatable beach ball, and three pool noodles.

Tasha and Pepper get changed in the hillock with a loud declaration of "we're girls, we need our privacy!" Once the girls are gone, Thor simply strips off, no body consciousness at all. The other boys glance at each other awkwardly before grabbing their trunks and shuffling off to the bushes. They are simply not that confident.

The lake is lovely and cold, and Tony and Clint have a great time dunking Steve, pushing Steve off the lilo, stealing the beach ball from Steve and whacking him on the head with pool noodles. Thor asks 'Lady Pepper' (Tony wonders if her smile will fall off she grins so widely) if she requires use of a lilo or noodle to swim, and with an offended little snort she dives off the pier and straight in. Bruce is more cautious, bobbing along with a noodle wrapped around his waist. Loki disdainfully declares that, thank you, but the water looks foul, so he thinks he'll just stay on the lilo. The moment he reaches the centre of the lake Tasha topples him, and he emerges sputtering angrily to Thor's booming laugh. This is cut off a second later when Tasha grabs the older brother by the ankle and drags him under. From what Tony can see, they're having an underwater sparring match, something that Tasha definitely seems to be winning.

Pepper and Bruce seem to be whispering something devious together, and when they catch Tony looking at them Bruce mouths _not you_ before Pepper dives under. In the meantime, Bruce is bobbing over to grab one of the abandoned lilos and drag it under a weeping willow, out of sight. Tony isn't left to wonder what's going on for long, however, because a few minutes later they charge out, Pepper propelling the boat along as Bruce gleefully hurls lumps of pondweed at everyone. A large clump lands on Clint's head and sits there, like a wig. Another gets Thor full in the face. With a shrill cry of

"Don't you **dare**!"

Loki finds himself on the receiving end of a clump intended for Tasha- she dived out the way at the last moment. However, before they can reach the far end of the lake, where Steve and Tony have both taken shelter from this onslaught, Thor snatches them off the lilo, one under each arm, and wades out the pond.

"Now you shall discover the mistake in taking on those so much larger than you!" he cries, and launches them, one after another, back into the lake. Pepper squeals with glee, landing in the water with a loud splash. Bruce seems more nervous, but still giggles breathlessly when he resurfaces.

They all wade out the lake, and take it in turns being chucked into the lake. The rest of them are too big to be thrown by Thor, but they hold each other's wrists and ankles, and launch them in like that. Tony remembers a picture he saw once in his _Guinness book of World Records_ once, and they carefully arrange a lilo just next to the pier, Pepper, as the smallest, sitting on one end.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Steve asks Tony concernedly. Tony rolls his eyes- of _course_ he's sure. With a quick check with Pepper to see if she's ready, Thor and Clint (as the two tallest) leap onto the other end of the lilo. The little girl shoots into the air, rising a good five meters before coming back down to hit the water with a _Slap!_ that makes everyone wince. She breaks the surface, water streaming into her eyes, and desperately paddles to keep her head above the surface.

"That. Was. **AWESOME**!"

They spend the rest of the time using the lilo to launch each other into the air. Bruce only goes once, and only with Pepper jumping onto the other end. It's barely enough to make him slide into the water, but it's enough for him, and after he goes to play chess with Loki, who has flat out refused to join in.

They spend most of the day swimming, and when they eventually crawl back out it's to the awful realisation of, oh no, no one remembered to bring any towels. In the end it doesn't matter, because they crawl onto the grass and let the hot summer sun dry them off. Pepper remembers that there's going to be a carnival in town for the next few days, and asks them if they want to go. Loki and Thor are all for it, as are Steve and Bruce (Tony suspects that he'd be up for anything that gets him out of his house for an evening). Tony's never been to a carnival, and so decides to give it a try, but Clintasha exchange gloomy glances and remind the others that they've got no money.

Tony assures them that it's no problem- he'll pay for Clint if Loki and Thor want to pay for Tasha. Pepper smothers her giggles behind her hands as the two brothers eagerly nod and declare that they will buy her whatever she wants, before getting into a loud bickering match over who will be buying her what. Clint crawls over to Tony and thanks him in a hushed voice, telling him he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to. Tony is still scared of being used, having friends like his mother's, who determine a person's worth by the money they've got in their pockets. But he can see how badly Clint wants to go, can see the longing in his eyes, and reminds himself that Clint was his friend long before he knew that Tony was Tony Stark. Tony smiles and tells him it's fine.

They agree to go the evening after next, and that evening everyone except Clintasha heads home to ask permission. Pepper got sunburnt, and when she and Tony arrive at the lake the next day, it transpires that Tasha did as well, her red face matching her hair to a tee. Tony smirks, and Tasha is warning him to _watch it, or she'll_ when Thor and Loki arrive. Thor is grinning widely. Loki is scowling.

"If _one word_ is said about the condition of my skin, I will personally murder my offender." Pepper's eyes bulge, but she wisely remains quiet. Tony snorts, Tasha looks at him sympathetically, and Clint arrives a minute later with a breathless

"Whoa! Man, what happened to your _face_?! You look like a lobster!"

With a roar, Loki gives chase.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! I have amazing news for you: there is a magical button at the end of this chapter, in which you can type! This is called 'leaving a review.' 'Review' is another word for author food, so unless you want this one wasting away from hunger, you should definitely type something! It doesn't even have to be nice!**

* * *

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

"This is going to be so much fun!" squeals Pepper as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Tony rolls his eyes and smiles fondly as he double checks how much money he currently has in his wallet- $500 and his credit card. More than enough to cover him, Clint, Pepper (her mom has only given her $15) and what he suspects will be Bruce as well- somehow he doubts that violent, drunken fathers readily give out pocket money.

They leave the house and head to the edge of the forest, where everyone has agreed to meet. There's no point in going down to the lake if they're just leaving again immediately, and anyway- not that he'll ever tell anyone- Tony doesn't really want to be in the woods after dark.

Thor and Loki are already there, and Tony grins when he realises they're wearing what Loki calls 'trashy American clothes.' The younger boy is in black jeans and a dark green t-shirt, while Thor is in khaki shorts and a light blue shirt. Tony suspects they might be doing it to impress Tasha.

Steve and Bruce arrive next, the bruises from Bruce's last incident having now faded to a mottled green. They are all glad that there are no fresh ones. Pepper sidles up to him, and nervously gives him a daisy she picked from the side of the road. He thanks her, and looks at it for a moment as though not quite sure what do with it, before putting it behind his ear. He notices another daisy, and grabs it and gives it to her, and she puts it behind her ear. They both smile at each other shyly.

Steve watches this whole thing with a content smile, as though he is an old man watching young love. Thor is completely oblivious, as usual, but Loki meets Tony's eye and makes gagging gestures. Tony makes them back, but has to smile at the bright beam on Pepper's face.

Clintasha arrive last, and they are hesitant to leave the forest, despite Tony's assurances that no, he hasn't seen anything about them in the news, and yes, Clint, he does read the paper, what's wrong with that? The runaways give in, and then they all head to the field a little bit out of town where the carnival is set up.

"Mother says that I shouldn't trust people who work in the carnival," says Steve in a hushed voice as they approach the entrance. Tony tells him to get over himself, and Clint laughs, but Bruce's eyes widen slightly, and he slips his hand into Pepper's. She looks like she's going to faint for joy.

"Lady Natasha, if this is true, perhaps I should accompany you tonight, to make sure you don't get hurt," offers Thor, his eyes hopeful.

"Indeed," adds Loki, "it would be unsafe to be caught by these people alone. Perhaps I should escort you where you wish to go?" Tasha smirks as Tony fights the urge to burst out laughing. The look of dawning realization in Clint's eyes means that he's only just caught onto the fact that they fancy her. With this knowledge, he bites his lower lip, and Tony can see that he's trying to keep a straight face.

"Thanks," says Tasha wryly, "but I think I can handle myself." Before the Odinsons can press their point, they arrive at the entrance, and the fun begins.

Clint wins five coconuts in the coconut shy before being banned from playing any more games. Tasha is a whizz with the water guns, and wins a toy plastic gun and a bow and arrow set which she gives to Clint. He has to deal with the suspicious glares of Thor and Loki for all of five minutes before they are distracted and forget about it again.

Thor manages to ring the bell on the strength test, something most of the adult men can't do, but is foiled by the claw machine, and almost smashes it with large metal mallet he'd won. Loki is surprisingly good at whack-a-mole, and wins a plastic sceptre, which he eyes disdainfully but keeps a hold of anyway.

Steve turns out to be pretty good at Skee ball, and he wins a large stuffed gorilla, which Clint says could be his twin. After losing a card game three times in a row, Pepper catches the man slipping cards up his coat sleeve, and demands the largest prize (a giant stuffed rabbit) or she'll find security. Tony doesn't think he's ever been so proud of his younger cousin.

Bruce wins a giant jar of jelly beans when he guesses (calculates) how many are inside, and Tony wins a large chocolate cake when he guesses (calculates) the weight of it. Both are finished within half an hour as the group goes on a junk food binge, which slowly develops into an all out food war.

Tony sticks cotton candy in Steve's hair, and Tasha tips a snow cone down the back of Tony's shirt. Clint is in the process of smearing chocolate over her face when Loki and Thor chase him off, Thor brandishing the hammer that he has affectionately named 'Mjolnir.'

Bruce throws up on the Ferris wheel. Thor throws up on the roller coaster. Pepper throws up on the gravity drop. Tony throws up on the loop-de-loop. Loki throws up on the swinging ships. Steve throws up on the merry-go-round. Clint throws up after Tony bets him he can't eat six hot dogs in a minute. Tasha throws up after she sneaks into the 'Deep Fried Anything!' tent and sees how they store the food.

It's getting close to midnight when Steve suggests they call it a night. As much as Tony hates agreeing with Steve, they've been on every ride at least twice, they've eaten enough food to support a small nation for a week, and they're all pretty tired. Wearily they trudge back towards the entrance, talking about what a great night it's been, and how carnivals should come to town more often, when suddenly Clint freezes.

"Barney?" he whispers, and while the others look at him with confusion, Tony notices that Tasha stops dead, immediately following Clint's line of vision. There, selling balloons, is a grumpy looking teenager of about seventeen. "Barney!" Clint calls, and the teen stops and turns.

"Clint?" he asks disbelievingly, and then he's striding over. Tony doesn't think he's ever seen Clint look so happy to see someone, but this is gone in a flash when Barney draws a fist back and punches the younger boy in the face. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" he yells angrily down at Clint, who sprawled in the mud, clutching his cheek. "What the fuck, Clint?" he yells again.

"Do not strike out friend!" roars Thor, moving himself in front of Clint and brandishing Mjolnir dangerously. Steve moves to step next to him, as does Tasha, and they glare up at the teen, who barks out a cold laugh.

"You think I'm scared of some bratty little kids?" Tony and Loki step forward as well, as do Pepper and Bruce, little arms crossed against their chests. "Get out my way, freaks; I need to talk to my brother."

"You lie," growls Thor. "What monster would treat their brother so?" Barney's eyes settle on Tasha, and his glare hardens.

"You can tell them, little bitch." Her fists clench, but she remains silent. "As for you," Barney pushes past them and grabs Clint by his ankles. "I see you again and you're dead meat. Stupid shit," he mutters, and Clint hits the ground with a dull thud. They don't move as he turns and walked away, and it isn't until Clint groans that they snap out of their shocked daze and turn to help him.

"Friend Clint!" asks Thor, kneeling down beside him. "Are you well?"

"Yes, Thor, I'm sure he's just dandy," snaps Tony, helping Clint back to his feet. Thor looks puzzled at the sarcasm, and the runaway smiles faintly.

"I suppose I've got some explaining to do?" he mutters, rather looking like he'd really not. They all nod grimly.

"Not now, though," says Steve, glancing at his watch. "I don't know about Thor and Loki, but I need to help Bruce sneak back in and get home myself. It's already past curfew. And Tony, I doubt your aunt will appreciate you keeping Pepper out too late."

"Hey!" protests Pepper, while Tony rolls his eyes. Thank you to the resident kill joy. The others look like they agree though, and they bid each other a good night before turning and walking home.

"Tony?" asks Pepper as they walk. The flowers gone from behind her ear, probably lost on one of the rides, and her face is pensive.

"Yes?" replies Tony warily. Pepper stops walking altogether and turns to him, looking like she's about to cry.

"What's wrong with everyone's family? Bruce's dad hits him, and Clint's parents hit him, and his brother hits him, and you said your parents ignore you, and everyone knows that Mr Rogers drinks, and Thor and Loki's parents sent them away, and something bad happened to Tasha, and I don't know what but she ran away so it must have been bad and what's wrong with us?" Tears are running down her face and Tony's frozen in horror, because he knew she knew as much as everyone else- with the exception of understanding what Tasha meant by 'try door three'- but he'd never stopped to think of what an impact it might have on her. Now, as the saline droplets glint in the moonlight, a crushing sense of guilt overwhelms him. He drops to his knees, gathers her in his arms, and gives her a tight hug as he tries to work out how to answer.

"There are good people and bad people," he says finally, wincing at how corny it sounds. "And sometimes the bad people have kids. It doesn't mean the kids are bad people, but sometimes the bad people are bad to the kids. So we just have to try and help them when we can, okay?" She sniffs.

"Are your parents bad people?" He hesitates, because that's a question he's been asking himself for years.

"Yes. No. I don't know? It's complicated, Pepper." He sighs, not wanting to think about them. "Now, shall we go home?" She nods, and taking her hand he leads her back the rest of the way, her other hand dragging the stuffed toy behind her.

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**See, just down here- a review button!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hooray for reviewers! (extreme happy dancing) You guys are so sweet, thank you! And to the guests that I couldn't respond to, thank you! And to everyone who has reviewed in general, THANK YOU!**

**Update will probably be slower for the next two weeks, because I am on SAFARI! WHOO! We are now six weeks in to a tragic and adorable tale of friendship, and this chapter dragged its heels like a stubborn mule! I rewrote it three times, each time completely differently, and this is the one I ended up choosing. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I wanted to give you guys an update, so enjoy! (and please, please, please keep up the reviews! I cherish them! They are my life force!)**

**Happy reading!**

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That night, Tony is woken by a hand covering his mouth.

His first thought is that the kidnappers have finally found him, and he has to make sure they don't get Pepper. Then his sleep addled brain registers a shock of flaming red hair, and the fact that the hand over his mouth is substantially smaller than that of a grown man, and he realizes that it is in fact Tasha.

"What are you doing here?" he hisses when she removes her hand. She eyes him warily, and explains that Clint _really _doesn't want to have to talk about what happened, so she's been sent to explain it to Tony, who is then going to explain it to the others at the lake tomorrow. Clintasha aren't going to be there.

"You have to cross your heart that you won't make fun of him, or even mention it around him," she hisses. He dutifully crosses his heart, with the warning reminder that she _will _stick a needle in his eye if he breaks his promise. That done, she seems to deflate, and curls up on the end of his bed.

"Clint's dad used to beat him and Barney," she begins, dark eyes glinting in the watery moonlight. "He was a drunk, and he would get really mad- like Bruce's dad. The government found out, and they sent them to a home."

"My mother died of cancer when I was little, and my father and I had just been granted US citizenship when he died from alcohol poisoning. That was last year, and I was sent to the same home as Clint and Barney."

"Clint was nine too, and Barney was sixteen, and none of the older boys liked Barney, so they always took it out on Clint. About three months ago, I was adopted. Barney didn't like me because I was friends with Clint, and with me gone he convinced Clint to run away. They had it all planned- they were going to go to New York, because Barney always said that anyone can make it big in New York, even two screwed up brothers that nobody wants."

"But the man who adopted me... it didn't work out. And I wrote to Clint, and asked him to get me out. So two months ago, I slipped some sleeping tablets into his soup, and put everything valuable that I could find into a bag. Clint and Barney came at midnight, and Barney made me show him the bag. After, he walked in with a full tank of petrol, and out with an empty tank, and he handed me a match and said 'the honour's yours.'"

Tasha's voice cracks as she says that, and Tony feels his gut lurch; murder. But then he remembers the bitter, haunted look in Tasha's eyes when she said 'try door number three,' and he decides that perhaps, like his father's murders, this one was justified.

"But Barney didn't want me along, and a week after we ran away, he woke Clint up in the middle of the night and told him to choose. Clint said... he said he wasn't going to leave me, and Barney said that he had until sunrise to pick, and that if he made the right choice he would meet him at the roads. Clint woke me up the next morning- Barney was gone, the bag was gone, everything was gone except a mars bar and half a bottle of water."

Is Tasha crying? No, she can't be: Tasha doesn't cry. Not even when Loki and Tony were throwing mud at Steve, and Loki threw a rock that Steve dodged and hit Tasha in the back of the head, and Tony's pretty sure anyone should cry at that.

"So we hiked along the motorway until we came across this town, and we've been hiding in the woods since. Then you found Clint, what? Six weeks ago now? And now everyone knows where we are, where no one was meant to know before."

She gets up to go, and Tony wants to say something- ask more questions, offer reassurances, he doesn't even know what- when she cuts him off.

"You know, either you finding us was the best thing that could have happened... or the worst." And before Tony even has a chance to process that, she's gone, out through the window. It's only now that he realises she didn't use the skipping rope ladder to get up.

The next morning, Tony and Pepper arrive at the lake much later than usual, and with much yawning and eye rubbing. Thor and Loki are already there, having an argument in what Tony guesses can only be Norwegian (Loki had rather coolly informed him that there was no such language as 'Asgardian'). Thor grins when he catches sight of Tony and Pepper, but Loki turns away, clearly still fuming.

Bruce and Steve arrive, Bruce sporting a very painful looking black eye. His other eye has faded to yellow, and in some sick way he looks like a miserable panda. Steve explains that they managed to slip him in alright last night, but that something happened this morning.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asks Pepper. He shakes his head, so she just gives him his extra-thick peanut butter sandwich instead, and a hug that leaves them both blushing scarlet.

Tony explains how Natasha had visited him in the night- this earns a suspicious glare from both Thor and Loki, as well as a look from a very indignant Pepper, demanding to know why she wasn't woken up. She reminds him that this is the second time that this has happened.

Tony tells them what she told him, and for a long while there is silence. Even Thor is quiet, an unprecedented event that makes Loki blink at him owlishly. Bruce and Pepper look miserable, and when Steve asks if they're alright, they shake their heads and grip each other's hands tightly. Tony suddenly feels very cold, even in the warm sunshine, and curls up into himself. Loki asks if this sort of thing is common in America, to which Steve glumly replies that he wishes he wasn't. The rest of the day is quiet. They play bullshit, but they're just not into it, and it is with heavy hearts that they return home that evening.

The next day, Clintasha arrive right on time. They smile as normally as possible, and Clint attempts to break the tension with a rather forced grin and a cheery

"So I take it Pepperoni have told you everything?" Tony, who is all prepared to nod and then quickly change the subject, is pulled up short.

"I'm sorry, _what_ did you just call us?"

"If we're Clintasha then you're Pepperoni."

"Okay, well, what about Loki and Thor?"

"Thorki?" suggests Steve, earning him an eye roll from Tony.

"Now that just sounds ridiculous."

"What about Steve and Bruce?" asks Tasha. They pause a moment to consider it.

"Stuce?" suggests Thor. Steve snorts.

"And you thought Thorki sounded bad!"

"Breve?" Tony pats Clint gently on the head.

"No, just... no." Loki smirks.

"I've got it."

"Let's hear it then."

"One question quickly- Steve, are you particularly patriotic?"

"Probably more so than most; why?"

"How about star spangled banner?" There is silence for a moment, before a wide grin spreads across Tony's face.

"Loki, you're a genius."

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**Natasha's quite hard to write, so I hope I didn't make her too OOC or anything**


	9. Chapter 9

**What do we want? FLUFF! When do we want it? ALL THE TIME!**

**Okay, okay, I hear you, I hear you :D That is why I present you with possibly THE fluffiest thing I have ever written, in my life, I need to go see a dentist now, thanks to you.**

**Please read, and if you liked (or even if you didn't) please review!**

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The day of Bruce's birthday promises to be the hottest so far, the sun beating down mercilessly. Tony and Pepper are up earlier than usual, Tony chivvying his aunt along as she sets up an extra good picnic, Pepper fretting about whether or not her present is good enough.

Once done, they set off into the woods. Steve has promised to keep Bruce away for a little while by buying him an ice cream in town or something, so they don't have to rush. They don't even bother to bring the rods or the bait bucket; they're carrying so much food, it wouldn't be feasible.

Pepper is clutching a cooler box filled with various juices and pops; on top of this is a store bought cake, with perfect chocolate swirls, decorated with a medley of sprinkles. On top of this is a cake that Pepper made herself last night: one end has caved in, the sprinkles have melted into the icing, and it crumbles a little bit more every time she jostles it.

Hooked over one arm is a large carrier bag filled to the brim with different types of chocolates and crisps, including but not exclusively Cadbury's chocolate, which Tony has imported from England regularly right under his dad's nose. In a large carrier bag over the other arm are gummy sweets and sherbet, lollipops and liquorice, taffy and toffee; basically every type of candy the local dollar store could supply.

Tony carries the sandwiches.

Once again, Thorki have beaten them to the lake, and are in the middle of setting up a picnic table when Tony and Pepper (he refuses to think of themselves as Pepperoni) arrive. There is already a rainbow striped umbrella driven firmly into the ground, and they place the food in its shadow. Their gifts they place next to Thor and Loki's.

Clintasha arrive, Clint carrying their gifts, Tasha carrying some picnic blankets that almost certainly belonged to someone else the day before. The blankets are spread out next to the table, and their gifts are placed on the pile with the others.

By the time everything is set up, everyone is in a good mood, now waiting on star spangled banner to arrive (Tony smirks at that thought). Clint tries to snaffle a bit of the party food, and Tasha throws him face first into the lake- luckily for him, the others had agreed that Clintasha should have at least one change of clothes each, so he can change into a dollar store T-shirt and a pair of Steve's old jeans.

Steve and Bruce finally arrive, faces smeared with ice cream, Bruce clutching tightly to Steve's back. Before Tony has a chance make a joke about oh, hey, I was right, you really are an ass Steve, Bruce slides down and they catch a glimpse of his mottled skin. Steve looks ready to murder, but the younger boy just gives a humourless smile.

"Dad gave me my ten birthday punches." His voice is cold and he is missing a tooth. Tony decides he doesn't like this new, bitter version of Bruce, and apparently neither does Pepper, because she darts forward and hugs him until he relaxes and his expression returns to the normal one of slightly curious.

Despite the damper on the beginning, soon the party is in full swing. Steve has drawn a pin the tail on the donkey poster, and Clint is surprisingly good. Tasha disappears completely for a good half hour when they played hide and go seek, and Thor has a bit of trouble understanding stuck in the mud (so I must remain still? But what use is that? MY FRIENDS! COME SAVE ME!), while Loki is downright terrifying in truth or dare.

Bruce declares Pepper's cake to be the best cake he's ever eaten, ten times better than the store bought cake, and Pepper gets a big, goofy grin on her face that makes Tony chuckle. Loki hogs the dark chocolate truffles, Thor the caramels and Clint the sherbet. Tasha finishes the black liquorice altogether, while Steve is horrified to find that Tony brought liquor chocolates.

"How did you even get hold of those?"

"Money, baby; I can do anything."

After they've eaten, they turn to the pile of presents. It is clear just from the wrapping which one came from who: Pepper's gift is wrapped in unicorn wrapping paper, Thor's in bright red with a gold bow, Loki's in dark green with a silver bow, Steve's in red and white striped paper with a blue bow (he claimed it was the only one they hand, but Tony suspects otherwise) and Tony's in a funky, abstract looking pattern that turned out to be wrapping paper if you look closely. Clintasha's gifts are wrapped with newspaper, but Clint's is a rumpled looking mess, whereas Tasha's is perfectly neat, creased in all the right places, even with a drawn on bow.

Bruce's eyes go as wide as dinner plates when he sees the amount of gifts for him, and before he even opens them he gives everyone a massive hug and thanks them profusely, before settling down right in the middle of the pile and opening his gifts.

Pepper has gotten him a bright green T-shirt with the words I AM INVINCIBLE emblazoned in purple across the front. He puts it on immediately, over his normal T-shirt, and it hangs down nearly past his knees, looking more like a dress. Tony has gotten him a chemistry set and two hundred grams of pure potassium suspended in oil. Bruce freezes when he sees the potassium, and a conspiring smirk spreads over his face.

Loki's gift turns out to be a cut glass chess set that glints and sparkles in the bright sunlight. Bruce is hesitant to even touch it, lest something break, but Loki assures him it is far sturdier than it looks. Thor has gotten him eight different 'Yoga and meditation for beginners' workout videos; when questioned, he explained that he thought Bruce would prefer a calm and relaxing sport, and he was told that this was best. Clint and Tony snigger, but Bruce looks at them curiously, as though he might actually give him a go.

Steve has gotten him a massive encyclopaedia of everything, and a book on the history of physics that has long words and no pictures. Bruce nearly collapses under their combined weight, but his bright grin never falters.

Despite giving him separate presents, Clintasha both seem have worked on both. One of them is a crude wood carving, which Tasha informs him is a Russian icon of protection. She found a photo, and Clint carved it from a branch of oak. The other is a knife, with a polished wooden handle and a gleaming blade. Clint leans forward and whispers something which Tony is pretty sure he wasn't mean to hear.

"If you ever need to protect yourself."

Bruce gives them all another round of hugs, and Pepper whispers something to him which this time Tony doesn't hear. She trots off to help herself to more chocolate, leaving behind a very confused looking Bruce Banner.

It is a bit later when Bruce approaches Tony. Clint and Thor have collapsed in a heap on the grass, having crashed after going hyper off strawberry bootlaces. Pepper and Tasha are sitting in the shade, deep in a conversation Tony would bet his father's fortune isn't about dolls. Steve is lying on the pier, soaking his feet in the water and soaking up the sunshine, while Tony and Loki are deeply engrossed in a game of suicide chess (which Tony is winning).

"What are you going to do now?" he asks Loki, sliding the pebble that represents his queen over to the twig that was Loki's castle. Loki sighs, and is probably about to say something snippy back when Bruce plops down next to them, a concerned expression rumpling his mild face. Both Loki and Tony pause to look at him expectantly, and after a moment's hesitation, he starts to speak.

"Pepper told me 'no thinking you're better than me, now that you're ten.' What does that mean?" he blurts out. Tony and Loki share a glance, smirking. "Guys? What does it mean?"

"She's probably worried that you'll do just that," says Tony. However, this doesn't seem to clear up Bruce's confusion- in fact, if anything, it makes it worse.

"But I wouldn't do that," he insists. "Why would she think I would?"

"Us excepted, how do the older children tend to treat you?" asks Loki, leaning forward. Bruce mumbles something unintelligible. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Pretty shit," repeats Bruce, ignoring Tony's expression of mock horror at the younger boy's language.

"Exactly; now, do you understand why she's a bit scared?" Bruce nods, looking glum, and a genius idea occurs to Tony.

"There is a way, of course, that you can prove otherwise." Bruce looks up so eagerly Tony thinks he might have heard his neck crack, the brown eyes wide and hopeful.

"How?" Over Bruce's head Loki cocks and eyebrow, mischief glowing in his eyes as he leans in to hear Tony's plan.

"Well, there's only one way. It may sound weird, but it's the only way you and Pepper can stay friends, so you have to do it. Do you think you're up to it?" Bruce nods, looking anxious. "Okay, you have to go over to her, and without saying a word- I mean it! One word and this is ruined- you have to give her a kiss on her cheek. Then, still without saying anything, you have to come back here; you got that?" Bruce has moved from anxious to full on terrified, while Loki's lips have thinned to a narrow line as he tries to suppress his giggles.

"I have to kiss her?! But... but... but what if she... I mean..." Tony pulls Bruce to his feet and pushes him towards Pepper.

"Go on!" Bruce shoots them a last, panicked glance before making his way over to the two girls.

"You are a genius Stark," breathes Loki, smiling in glee as Bruce trips halfway there.

"I know; lollipop?"

"Thank you."

The two girls look up as Bruce reaches them, and Tony can see Tasha ask if everything is okay. He's not surprised- the small boy is shaking. Suddenly, Bruce bends down and gives Pepper a peck on the cheek, quick as lightning. Pepper goes rigid as Bruce practically runs back, cheeks flaming red. He stops when he sees the older boys laughing.

"I didn't have to do that, did I?"

"But I'm so glad you did," gasps Tony, eyes watering he was laughing so hard.

"You guys are jerks."

"We know," hiccups Loki. They pause as Pepper runs up, gives Bruce a quick kiss on the cheek, and sprints off again. A happy, goofy grin spreads over his face, only to be replaced by a small frown, as though he is trying to work something out.

"What is it?" asks Tony.

"Does this mean she's my girlfriend?"

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**Reviews if you think Pepper and Bruce are adorable :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**So, I realised that I'd been focussing on Clintasha and Bruce a lot (maybe on Bruce waaay too much, but come on! He's so freaking CUTE!) and I sort of felt like I'd been neglecting the others. So I present to you, for your reading pleasure, a massive chapter of Steve!whump. Enjoy and please review :)**

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For three days after Bruce's birthday, no one sees hide nor hair of Steve; on the first day, Tony and Clint joke about 'good riddance to bad rubbish.' The second day, they start to feel uneasy, and on the third day no amount of hugs from Pepper can cheer Bruce up. Halfway through the third day, Tony shoves himself to his feet.

"Okay, enough of this- I'm going to find him. Thor, you're coming with me."

"Me, Friend Stark?" Tony can't say he blames the prince for looking confused- though they get on well enough, Tony has always been much closer to Loki.

"Yes, you; if Ross and his gang are there I need someone to stand up to him." At the mention of Ross, Bruce goes white as a sheet and looks like he's going to faint. The others also look worried, Clintasha to a lesser degree- they've never had the pleasure of meeting Ross.

Bruce ends up coming too- Tony and Thor don't actually know where Steve lives- and within about half an hour they are standing on the sagging porch of a rotting old house. Tony glances at Bruce, unsure- surely nobody actually _lives_ here- but Bruce just purses his lips and rings the bell. A lady- she looks old, but to Tony, all adults look old- with watery red eyes and a tight, forced smile opens the door a crack and peers down at them.

"Can I help you?" Her voice is rough- it sounds like she has been crying.

"We're friends of Steve and we haven't seen him in a few days- we were wondering if he's alright?" Tony flashes her his best smile, but she doesn't even seem to notice, nodding absently as she glances over her shoulder.

"He's not, really- neither of us are. But maybe you boys can help some." That said, she opens the door fully and shows them to Steve's room.

He's lying on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling, a pillow tightly clutched to his chest. His eyes flick over to them, but immediately return to the cracks in the plaster, his face showing no recognition. Normally, Tony would tease him for the large American flag hanging up on one wall and a poster of that woman with the red bandana like _we can do it!_ on the other. However, somehow even he can tell that now _really _isn't a good time for it. Instead, he shuts the door and sits on the end of the bed. Bruce curls up on the floor next to Steve's head and Thor stands on the other side, looking for all the world like he is keeping vigil. For a few minutes, silence reigns. Tony is itching to say something, but forces himself to remain silent.

"My dad is dead," Steve says finally. His voice sounds cold, distant, dead, and Tony's heart plummets- whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. No one is quite sure what to say, but Bruce snuggles his head against Steve in what the prodigy supposes is meant to be a comforting gesture. Absently, Steve's hand comes out and pets his curls, before he continues. "He was a drunk- he would go out drinking with Bruce's dad and come back absolutely wasted. And then, night of Bruce's birthday, he didn't come back; they found him face down in the river next morning. Think he fell in and was too drunk to get back out."

"I'm sorry, Friend Steve," says Thor quietly, but Steve ignores him, ploughing on.

"But do you want to know the worst part? The very worst part, worse than the fact that my dad is dead?" Tony isn't sure if he's meant to reply in the affirmative or not, so instead he makes himself look curious. It seems to work. "The worst part is that I don't care- no, not even that: I'm relieved. I'm so relieved; he... he didn't have a job, and he'd drink all our money, and I was so scared that one night he would get angry and he would... he would end up like Bruce's dad, and Tasha would be patching me up again, and I just... he's dead, and I'm not scared anymore, and I'm going to hell." Tony scoffs.

"Like hell you-"

"No, Tony!" snaps Steve, sitting up ramrod straight and glaring at his amicable rival (as Tony has taken to calling him in his head- an amicable rivals Or a disagreeable friend. They both have a nice ring). "You don't get it! He's my father, I'm supposed to love him, respect him; instead, I'm glad he's dead!" Tears begin to spill down his cheeks. "I'm glad he's dead," he repeats in a whisper. Thor is frozen with a look of panic on his face, clearly unsure of how to deal with the situation, while Bruce is making some sort of distressed whimper, patting Steve on the knee as though this will somehow comfort him. Then again, Tony's plan is hardly much better.

"If you're going to hell, then I'm going too," he murmurs quietly, and Steve hesitates. Tony continues. "I know how you feel- or at least, how you felt. My dad drinks a lot too; I heard the maid call him an alcoholic. And he doesn't hit me, but he shouts a lot, if he even bothers to look at me, and I... I don't love him. I don't think I ever have. And he may be a genius, and he may have '_hauled himself up by his bootstraps'" _Tony says this in his best impression of Howard, "but I don't think I respect him any more either. But it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, when he looks at me like I'm... like I'm nothing." Tony can feel tears pricking at his eyes, but he desperately blinks them away- he is not going to cry. Thor and Bruce seem to have decided to give them their privacy, and slipped out as Tony was talking- though Tony's not sure when, because if Thor can be silent then this is the first that he's heard of it.

Steve is staring at him, and Tony isn't sure what the expression on his face is- gratitude, perhaps, or concern. All he knows is that somehow, he got through.

"At least I have my mom," admits Steve quietly. Tony nods, and on an impulse grabs Steve's shoulder. He's not sure why- he isn't too fond of physical contact, and tries to avoid initiating it if possible- but the other boy smiles slightly. "Thanks, Tony- who'd have thought that you could be comforting." And just like that, the moment has passed, but it is with good nature that Tony laughs and then pretends to look upset.

"What, me? I'll have you know that ladies flock to me in their thousands, just to cry onto my shoulder!"

"And the president is a monkey," replied Steve wryly. Tony's eyebrows shot up.

"Of course- he is a politician after all. They're all monkeys, except for that one senator- can't remember his name, met him at a dinner, complete jackass- who must have had at least one gorilla for a grandparent."

"Aren't gorillas monkeys?"

"They're apes, you ignoramus."

"I don't know what you just called me, but I know it was insulting."

"Just get your lazy ass in gear- the others are waiting by the lake, and Pepper has been missing her favourite superhero."

"Yeah, right- na na na na na na na na na BEATUPBYEVERYONEGUY!" Tony snorts.

"Sounds about right."

That afternoon, while Thor and Steve are talking about something chivalrous or whatever, Tony quietly tells Loki, Pepper and Clintasha that Steve's dad has died and that he doesn't want to talk about it. They nod in complete understanding, and the subject is never raised again, but arguments between Tony and Steve seem to lack the venom that was once there.

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**Reviewers get a virtual hug from their kid!avenger of choice :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my lovelies! Thank you for all your amazing reviews! I'm sorry to the guests that I couldn't send hugs to, but know that the little avengers love you all anyways!**

**This chapter... didn't want to be written, and it was being quite a lot longer than I expected, so I've split in into two, and will get the second part up as soon as possible. It's fluffy, with a little bit of Thorki angst, but not too much (compared to the others, they aren't too angsty). I hope you like it!**

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It is Clint's idea, and Tony makes sure to write that fact down, so that in future years when they are arguing about who to blame, he can pull out his notebook and prove it was Clint's idea.

The problem is, he's the only one to think that it's a bad idea- Steve adores it. Bruce adores it. Pepper seems hesitant, but she agrees with Bruce. Tasha likes it, and that means the Odinsons immediately declare it to be a 'wonderful plan!' Clint came up with it in the first place, so of course he's extolling its virtues.

He can sort of see the reasoning behind it- Steve gets to leave a grieving mother and his father's stuff behind for the night. Bruce gets to leave the violent father behind for the night. Pepper gets to spend a night 'casually' snuggling with Bruce when she- which Tony has no doubt she will do- claims to be afraid of the dark. Clintasha get company and companionship for the night. Thorki get to argue about who sleeps next to Tasha.

However, all Tony can think about is spiders, and sleeping on the ground, the lack of security in the woods at night, and how he's never had a sleep over before, much less a camping sleepover. If he is honest with himself (which he prides himself on not being) he will admit that he is slightly afraid. Fairly. Quite. Very. Perhaps the correct term is 'absolutely freaking terrified.' But he is not honest with himself, and all he knows is that his gut feels like something very bad is going to happen.

So they go home and tell Pepper's parents that they've been invited to sleep at the Odinsons', and that they're going. Though his aunt looks flustered, she does not argue, and Tony and Pepper head to their rooms to pack their overnight stuff. Tony grabs pyjamas, and a coat, and briefly considers his toothbrush before accepting that there's no chance he'll brush his teeth tonight. He sneaks a packet of marshmallows from the kitchen while Pepper empties the entirety of her candy box into her bag- Tony silently promises to buy her more- and they both whine until their aunt gives them some pop to bring up too.

They leave at about six in the evening, and the walk to the lake is both strangely light and strangely shadowy. Strangely light, because it is evening, nearly night, but the sun is still shining down. Shadowy, because it is lower than they are used to, casting long swathes of darkness where the trees block out the sun's glow. In the cooler air, mosquitoes are out in their thousands, and Tony wishes he had thought to bring bug spray.

Pepper excitedly chatters the whole time about how much fun this is going to be, and are they going to have a campfire, are they going to toast marshmallows, will there be horror stories, what time is bedtime, what do you mean no bedtime, this is going to be the best night ever, do you think Tasha will kill anyone, who do you think Tasha fancies, because it probably isn't Thor or Loki, it's probably Clint, because he saved her, or maybe Steve, no Tony, she punched you, she doesn't fancy you, it had better not be Bruce, Tony what if Bruce fancies Tasha, they're both ten now, and I'm still eight, Tony, Tony, what if-

When they arrive at the lake Tony breathes a sigh of relief, because she is distracted from talking by the sight of Bruce, and she runs up to him, only to pause, both of them turning red. Steve is with him, clutching a bag of chocolate digestives he smuggled from the kitchen at his house, along with his overnight bag. Tony pulls out the marshmallows they brought up, and both grin when they realize they can make s'mores.

Tony isn't really sure what's up with them- they haven't argued since he was at Steve's house, making it more than a full day- but he's sure that, given time, they can go back to insulting each other and hating each other in a friendly way.

Thorki arrive then, and they seem to have bought out the candy section of the dollar store- it's even more stuff than was had at Bruce's birthday. Clintasha pop up from the trees clutching a few large slabs of chocolate, and Tony has no doubts that they stole it, but he's certainly not going to mention it. It's at this point that they realise that none of them have had dinner, and that sugary candy is going to be their dinner. Pepper excitedly declares again

"This is going to be the best night EVER!"

Instead of sleeping bags, they've all brought blankets- it's a warm night, like every other so far this summer, and the blankets are for sleeping on, rather than between. They choose a fairly flat patch of grass a little way away from the lake and break out the sweets. Only the marshmallows and chocolate biscuits are left to one side- they're going to make a campfire later, when it's dark.

Bruce has brought his cards with him, and Tony teaches them all how to play poker. There are eight bags of chocolate chips, so Clint hands one out to each of them, declaring that they can be used for gambling. Steve looks faintly horrified at the thought, but thankfully keeps his mouth shut. Thor struggles to not eat his 'betting chips' while the cards are dealt, and by the time the game is underway he's already gotten through a quarter of the packet.

Tony had expected Loki or Tasha to win, knowing their prowess for lying and keeping a straight face respectively. So they are all more than a little bit surprised when Pepper, after losing the first round spectacularly, goes on to completely wipe them all out.

"What?" she says innocently, noticing everyone staring at her in shock and amazement at the end of round five- she has a huge mound of chocolate in front of her, the rest have two or three chips each (or none, in the case of Clint). "Haven't you ever heard of hustling?"

It's beginning to get dark, so they agree to break for a few minutes so they pull on their pyjamas. Once again, Pepper and Tasha retreat into the Hillock, citing their gender as a valid reason as to why they should get it. As they're getting changed, Thor says something to Loki in Norwegian. Loki frowns, saying something back, and suddenly they're having a full on argument, yelling what Tony can definitely tell are profanities, even if they are in a foreign tongue. Pepper and Tasha emerge in surprise, wanting to know what all the shouting is about, just in time for Loki to stomp off into the night, the rest staring after him in shock.

"Ask Tony to explain!" he yells over his shoulder, and suddenly all eyes are on Tony, who blinks in confusion.

"Tony?" prompts Thor.

"I have no idea what I'm meant to be explaining."

"My brother claims that he is not my brother- what would you know of it?" Tony's heart sinks.

"Oh," he mutters. "That."

"Go on?" It's at this point Tony suddenly realises just how much taller than him Thor really is. It isn't comforting. Nor is that steely look in normally genial blue eyes, a steely look that seems to be trained directly at his soul.

So Tony tells them what Loki told him, about the adoption papers and the criminal father, and when he is done there is a resounding silence broken only by a small

"oh,"

from Thor. Finally, Clint reaches for some more chocolate, and the rustling of the wrapper seems to snap them out of their reverie.

"Friends," began the prince, his voice at half its normal pitch (meaning it was only just slightly loud, rather than deafening). "I require assistance- how do I prove to my brother that I care not about his parentage, only that he remains by my side?"

"You could do something for him," suggests Tasha. "To show him you still care."

Thor pauses, and then an idea flashes across his face.

"Lady Natasha!" he cries, voice back to full volume. "You are truly a woman of many virtues, intelligence being one of them! Please, seek out my brother! I have need of Clint to help me with the gift!" Before Clint can protest, he is dragged out the clearing, leaving the rest of them rather startled. Tasha climbs to her feet.

"Well, I'm going on a Loki hunt," she murmurs, and also disappears into the night

When she returns, it is with the other three in tow. Thor is beaming, but Clint's nose is wrinkled in disgust. Loki...

If Loki's eyes are red rimmed from crying then no one says a word on it. In fact, Tony wonders if he may be the only one who even notices- the others seem to be fixated on the long brown snake wrapped around Loki's neck, which the young princeling was stroking happily.

"His name is Jörmungandr," he announced to the others. "And he was a gift to me from my brother."


	12. Chapter 12

**So, I've been suffering from really bad writer's block lately, and I'm sorry for the slow update, but this chapter just DIDN'T want to be written. It doesn't help that it was my attempt at Tasha!whump- do you know how a hard a character she is to make open up. I don't think I managed it very well, but I wanted to give you an update, so... yeah. Please don't kill me**

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Tony keeps what he feels to be a healthy distance from Loki's new pet, and he isn't the only one. Clint's face twists into revulsion every time he looks at it, and even big, brave Steve seems unnerved. Bruce, on the other hand, is thrilled at the sight, and Loki even lets him hold it for a while. Pepper, probably because of Bruce's excitement, agrees to touch it, only to squeal and hide behind Tony. Tasha says they're all wimps, but he notices that she isn't going near it either. Thor just seems pleased that his brother forgives him.

It is closer to nine now than it is to eight, but the sun is only just setting behind the hills, lighting the sky into a blazing red that sears into Tony's eyes when he stares at it too long. Turning away, he is greeted by a pleasant sight- Clint and Thor are leaning against each other companionably, steadily working their way through the gummy bears. Loki has challenged Tasha to a staring contest that does not seem close to ending anytime soon, and Steve is going all 'wilderness survival guide' on them, using the strawberry bootlaces to teach Bruce and Pepper different knots.

A warm fire kindles somewhere in Tony's chest, and for a moment he is content to stand at the outskirts and just observe. Their guards are down; they are relaxed, smiling, laughing, safer in each other's company than they've ever been in the presence of those supposed to care for them. He doesn't understand how- they are ragged pieces from different puzzles, dog eared and worn, misfits, outcasts, unneeded and alone...but slot them together and a new picture is formed. It is completely different to what should have been, but better than what was there before. The fire grows, and just because he doesn't call it affection doesn't mean that it isn't.

Then all of a sudden the sun is behind the hills completely and the lake is plunged into darkness; the moment has passed. Survival Steve pulls a torch out his pack and they hunt around for dry leaves, twigs and larger branches. It isn't hard- this year has been particularly hot and there have been drought warnings since early April. Bruce arranges the branches, and Clint drops in the match, setting the veritable pyre alight. Thor finds some sharp twigs and Steve proceeds to show them how to make s'mores. Tony's never had one before, not counting that one that came in a plastic wrapper- and he doesn't count that- but it is delicious, warm and gooey. His face is sticky, as are his fingers, but he just wipes them on his clothes before coming back for seconds. There is no supervision out here (okay, there is Steve, but Tony just ignores him) and the child genius has never felt so free.

When there are no more s'mores and Loki has finished threatening Pepper with what the snake will do to her if she even thinks about getting marshmallow in his hair, Clint suggests that they tell scary stories around the fire. The others agree readily enough, and the young runaway insists on going first.

It is a tale about some campers in a forest ("a forest very much like this one!"), and though it is cliché it does manage to give Tony pause, before scooting ever so slightly closer to Thor- if anyone could take down a monster, it would be the young prince. Steve comes next, and they have to snort at his laughable attempt to be chilling. Tasha translates some creepy old Russian legend about a doll or something that has Tony inching towards the warm safety of the fire, but when Loki takes the stage nothing can comfort him.

The boy's emerald eyes glitter in the flickering flames, hands weaving soft gestures as a silver tongue lays out a story of betrayal and murder and a glittering emptiness that stretches on forever. There is a long silence after he finishes, broken- as long silences so often seem to be- by Clint, who laughs nervously and rubs his arms.

"Okay, man, you totally win with that one," he concedes, and Loki smirks smugly.

After that, they snack a bit more, chatting about nothing and telling feeble jokes in an attempt to get their minds off of creatures in the night. It isn't very long before they are dropping off to sleep, Tony giving the clouds above forming above their heads a concerned frown before curling up on the blankets and letting his heavy eyelids droop.

His internal clock tells him that barely any time has passed, but something startles him; Tony glances around, trying to find the cause of his sudden wakening. A hunched figure next to the fire makes his heart freeze for a moment, until the flames crackle and he realises it is Tasha. Her eyes are unreadable, and she is slowly feeding dry leaves into the flames, watching them shrivel into ash.

He hesitates, before getting up and going over. He doesn't expect her to talk about her feelings- he doubt even Clint gets to hear what's on her mind- but the young genius hopes that perhaps simply another presence will be enough to comfort her. The eyes flick to him for a moment as he sits, before darting back to the inferno.

"Have you heard of Robert Frost?" If Tony is thrown by the question, he likes to think he doesn't show it, though he definitely was not expecting that.

"The poet. Yeah, why?"

"He has a poem, called Fire and Ice. My father used to tell it to me, when I was little- it was his version of a lullaby."

"How does it go?"

"Some say the world will end in fire/ Some say in ice/ From what I've tasted of desire/ I hold with those who favour fire/ But if I had to perish twice/ I think I know enough of hate/ To say that for destruction, ice/ Is also great/ And would suffice. Do you get it?"

"I thought I did, but now that you ask me that I get the feeling that I don't."

"It's about hate." For a while, there is nothing but the crackle and pop of the flames as Tony tries to guess at what she might be getting at here. He's never quite sure with Tasha- her, Clint and Bruce are definitely vying for first place in the 'most messed up' department, but she handles it differently. Bruce has Pepper for comfort, and Clint always has Tasha to patch him up, but she doesn't confide and she most certainly doesn't seek help. He wonders how she copes. "But he's wrong."

"You'll have to explain," confesses Tony, and she gives him a long, measured look; he squirms uncomfortably, but whatever she sees seems to satisfy her, because she nods.

"It's about two types of hate- fiery, passionate hate and icy, calculating hate. And because the fiery passion is reckless, he thinks it will be fire. But icy hate has foresight- it plots, and schemes, and thinks ahead. It can control those burnt with the fire." Tony hazards a guess at what she's getting at here.

"Barney spread the gasoline-"

"But I dropped the match. The bastard was killed in a fire, but he was actually destroyed by ice." She pauses, and her eyes are so very, very hopeless. "If it wasn't for me, Clint would still be with Barney. If it wasn't-" Tony cuts her off before she can even get started down that road.

"If it wasn't for you, Clint and I would probably have chased Steve off weeks ago. If it wasn't for you, Thor and Loki still wouldn't be talking. If it wasn't for you, Clint would have had to explain the situation himself when clearly nothing would have made him more uncomfortable. If it wasn't for you, everything would be off. I trust you, and when have I ever been wrong?"

The tension in her seems to give, and her shoulders slump as she breathes out slowly. A bit of a smirk tugs at her lips, and she opens her mouth to snap reply with what will doubtless be a witty- but not quite as witty as Tony- retort when she is cut off: with a clap of thunder, the skies above them open up and the heavens come pouring down.

He knew those clouds weren't to be trusted.

"Huh?" Thor snorts awake, and proceeds to try and discreetly rub drool from his face.

Loki points out that it hasn't rained all summer, so of course it will rain the one night that they're all sleeping out in the open. They pack up the blankets and the food as quickly as they can in their half asleep state, before bundling into the Hillock.

It smells awful, with eight soaking children and a pile of steaming blankets stuck together in such a cramped, enclosed space, but it's better than being stuck out there to get wet. Outside they can hear the rumbles of thunder even if they can't see the lightning, and Tony doesn't miss Loki flinching his face into Thor's shoulder. However, before he can react on that information- perhaps by teasing Loki, perhaps by comforting, he isn't even sure anymore- Clint discovers that Jörmungandr accompanied them into the shelter, and commences screaming.

After a long argument, Thor and Tasha eventually convince Loki to put the snake outside, safely stuffed into one of the picnic baskets. Pepper groans, and makes Tony promise to never tell her mom about this- apparently Mrs Potts has a crippling fear of snakes. With it gone, however, they settle down into quietly murmured conversations, and one by one they fall back asleep, until Tony is the only one left awake.

He lies there, turning over what Tasha said in his mind. She feels like she could control people. Her hate is icy (but he already knows that), and she blames herself for Barney and Clint's falling out. This is what he knows for sure.

The rest though... either it didn't make sense, or it was really profound and he is just too thick understand it. He hopes it was the former, because he really doesn't like being too dumb to understand something (not that it happens often). He wonders what sort of father told a poem about hate to his daughter as a lullaby, and realises it was probably the same sort of father as the ones that hit their kids, or just flat out ignore them.

His attention is caught by an unhappy sigh from the general Bruce direction, and Tony realises he might not be the only one still awake. This is confirmed when the younger boy crawls over to his cousin, and gently shakes her shoulder.

"Pepper," he whispers. "Pepper?" The redhead opens her eyes and blinks sleepily. "Can I hold your hand? I'm... I'm afraid of the dark."

The child prodigy smirks. Deciding that before he can possibly sleep he needs to pee quickly, he wriggles out the door of the Hillock. It is when he is coming back, however, that his night is completely and totally made. Making his way back to his space, he notices a slight glimmer off what appears to be Tasha's eyes. She's lying there, completely wide awake and apparently very displeased, an Odinson boxing her in on either side and steadily snuggling closer.

_Help me_ she mouths, and Tony snorts.

_No_ he mouths back, and settles down for the night with a small smirk on his face: perhaps this campout wasn't a complete disaster after all.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'd just like to take a moment to say thank you so much to everyone who has followed/faved/reviewed on this story! I love you guys so much for that, and I'm really glad that my first foray into the Avengers fandom is going well!**

**That said, I wanted to write you something adorable and fluffy for this chapter, but my muse kind of went "NO!" so I present you with this instead.**

**Chapter 13: In which the boys learn the consequences of misogyny around Tasha**

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Tony isn't really sure what gets him to agree.

He likes to think it's Pepper's puppy dog eyes and the fact that he's such an amazing cousin that he would do anything for her, even something as self degrading and humiliating as this.

But it's probably the fact that Tasha threatens to kill anyone that doesn't comply with their wishes. Despite what they say to the contrary, Tony knows that the only one who isn't scared of a pissed of Tasha is Pepper, and that's probably just because she doesn't know how to piss people off.

He blames Steve for what happened, even though the fault was more Clint's and Thor's. Still, Steve is the one that brought in the baseball, and it was the incident with the baseball that tips thing off, so, yeah... it was definitely Steve's fault.

It all starts the day after the disastrous campout that was maybe kind of fun. Pepper declares that cheat (bullshit) has gotten boring- they play it _all _the time- so can they please find something else to do? They all agree to bring something different when they come, and they do.

Pepper brings a large box of playdough, all different colours (though by the end of the day, most of it is just brown). Tony brings a load of scrap metal and a pile of tools that he'd ordered when he first came to this crappy little town (but had never used, because of Clintasha and Thorki and star spangled banner and _people his own age!)_.

All-American wonder boy Steve arrives clutching two baseballs and three catcher's gloves (no one is surprised). Bruce has Jenga and a game called 'Operation,' with a man on a gurney with a big red light bulb nose.

Thor arrives with foam swords and 'Mjolnir,' the hammer that he won they day they went to the fair. Loki has a large book of magic spells that, from the cracked leather cover, seems very, very old.

And that's where the trouble starts, really. They're all huddled around the book, Loki showing them the different spells with an earnest eagerness that Tony has rarely seen on the other's face, when Thor gives an almighty scoff and turns away.

"Do you not believe in magic?" Pepper asks, sounding scandalised.

"Of course I do, Lady Pepper- I just do not see why my brother feels the need to devote himself to the womanly arts!"

"What does that mean?" asks Clint, brow furrowing. It isn't accusatory- he genuinely doesn't understand where the older boy is coming from.

"Magic is a womanly art," explains Thor, "Like cooking, or cleaning, or..." he wisely trails off when he sees the look on his _beloved_ Tasha's face. However, not so wisely, he tries to fix it. "That is to say, Lady Tasha, some women are adept enough to... become warriors instead, but... it is not befitting of a man, to... take up a woman's mantle... and he-" Tony laughs at Thor's fumbling, the expression on Tasha's face slowly getting more murderous.

"Just stop talking, Thor," the child prodigy tells him, and for once in his life, Thor remains quiet.

After this little... mishap, they decide to try some of the games. Tasha turns out to be amazing at Jenga, and Clint is a whiz at operation, his hand the steadiest that Tony's ever seen. Steve makes some beautiful figures of the playdough, which have Pepper virtually cooing in delight. Tony and Bruce make a little scrap metal robot (it doesn't work, sadly enough, but it looks pretty cool), and Loki and Pepper (who has grown bored of watching Steve 'sculpt') snatch the foam swords and proceed to attack Thor. They only stop when the elder prince grabs Pepper by her ankles and dangles her, kicking and squealing, off the edge of the pier, threatening to drop her in unless they cease fire.

They have a quick lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and pop (the same lunch they've had the last eight weeks running, but oddly enough, no one is complaining). Afterwards, Clint and Thor mention playing catch, and suddenly everyone is involved. Forfeiting the gloves altogether, they stand in a lazy circle, everyone desperately calling 'to me! To me!'

Tony has never been particularly good at sports, and now is no exception, so when the ball he just threw lands a good two metres short, he isn't particularly surprised by Clint's yell of

"You throw like a girl, Tony!"

However, he is surprised at the ball that suddenly smashes into the side of Clint's head. Towering over him stands a fuming Tasha, an unhappy Pepper by her side.

"You guys are being mean, and we don't like it!" begins the younger of the two. Clint groans and lifts his head weakly.

"Sorry, Tasha, I just meant-"

"Save it, Barton!" Pepper stands on her tiptoes and whispers something into Tasha's ear. The older girl smirks. "Pepper's right- if being like a girl really is such an _awful _thing" Tony doesn't like where this is going "then I suppose you're just going to have to give it a try- you know, see what we put up with and all." And with that, the two of them stalk off. Tony pulls Clint to his feet, and the males of the group stare after the two redheads.

"What do you think they meant by that?" asks Loki, looking concerned. Bruce juts out his lower lip and turns to the others.

"They're right, you know- you are being mean."

"I didn't mean it like that," protests Clint, before sighing. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just used to it, you know?"

"And I'm used to getting hit every other day, but that doesn't make it okay."

No one quite knows how to respond to that, but Pepper and Tasha return soon enough, sharing conspirational looks and refusing to tell the boys their plan.

The next day, as well as the never-used rods, the empty bait bucket and the picnic basket, Pepper clutches an old ice-cream container close to her chest. She refuses to tell Tony what's inside, but he can hear it rattling, and he has the feeling he isn't going to like it, whatever it is.

When they get to the lake, everyone else is already there; Bruce's skin is mottled with fresh bruises, and Pepper temporarily forgets her box in favour of feeding him and petting his head comfortingly. However, before Tony can take a look, Tasha slaps his hand away with a fierce glare. He decides it might be better to just wait for it to be revealed to him.

Once Bruce is cleaned up, Pepper and Tasha step forward with the box, proudly opening it to reveal a varied assortment of nail polishes. Tony frowns- they can't be serious?

Oh, but they are- they each have to pick two colours and then wait to get their nails painted. Afterwards, they have to sit quietly for half an hour while waiting for it to dry. It is, Tony thinks, incredibly boring and downright stupid- he can't understand why girls do it (even if his nails do look pretty cool).

He got mostly red, with a gold nail every third nail; the gold glints in the light, quite ostentatious, but in an awesome, badass way. Bruce got one hand green and one hand purple. Steve got one hand blue and the other hand alternating red and white. Loki had silver and green alternating nails. Thor got mostly red, with his thumbs silver. Clint got all black, except for purple pinkies. Pepper and Tasha did their own as well, and Pepper went for a rich cocktail blue, while Tasha went for the same as Clint, except her pinkies were red instead of purple.

They have to keep the nail polish on for three days before Pepper will take it off for them. If they say something against girls ("sexist" says Tony) then they get another day added. It seems fair enough.

Unfortunately, if Bruce had looked bad to them then, the next day he comes in with his face more purple than skin coloured, his lip split and his eye swollen, walking with a decided limp. He explains that his dad caught sight of the polish, and Tasha and Pepper look horrified at what had happened. They quickly take the polish off him, but then he sits on the grass and peels off his socks and shoes.

"He won't see my feet," the battered boy tells them with a conspiring whisper, and so they paint his toenails instead.

"Aren't you worried that... this will happen again?" asks Tony afterwards, gesturing to the bruises. Bruce hesitates, then nods. "Then why did you do it? Tasha and Pepper wouldn't have made you, they would have let you off! I don't get-"

"Because," the younger boy cuts in, "if I give up, he wins. And I can't let him win. So I just need to be sneaky." Tony knows he still looks hesitant, and Bruce sighs, eyes desperate to be understood. "Please, Tony; I can't let him win."

And on some level, Tony does understand- it's why he doesn't tell his dad about an AI that he's developing, and it's why he keeps smuggling Cadbury's chocolate in right under Howard's nose. He refuses to just lie down and let himself be walked over, and the same is true of the small boy sitting opposite him. Tony nods.

"Okay; just... if things get bad, you know where my window is." Bruce smiles, and before Tony knows what's happening the small arms are wrapped around his neck.

"Thank you," breathes Bruce in his ear, and Tony awkwardly pats him on the shoulder.

"Any time, big guy- any time."


	14. Chapter 14

**Woah! Nine reviews for last chapter! You guys are awesome! **

**Sorry for the slow update- combine intercontinental travel with writer's block and... well, it doesn't raeally work. But this suddenly just came to me, and seemed to flow, so hopefully I've managed to placate my muse.**

**I decided to have some Pepper appreciation time, and to introduce a villain we all love to hate! Sort of a recommendation from youWILLbealright (thanks for all your lovely reviews, btw) but I sort of tweaked it, so I hope this is alright.**

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It's day two of the nail polish command, and Tony's is starting to chip. He considers asking Pepper to touch it up for him, but then he thinks about how Clint and Loki would tease him if they ever find out and decides that he can handle his fingers looking tatty.

He and Pepper are up early, having decided they are going to instate cupcake Saturday for the last four Saturdays that Tony and Thorki are here. The thought of leaving soon makes his stomach twist, so he doesn't think about it, and instead focuses on whether he wants triple chocolate or vanilla with a whipped cream and strawberry icing (they end up going for triple chocolate, because Pepper is allergic to strawberries).

It's on their way back to the house, where they are going to pick up the picnic, the rods and the empty bait bucket, that they bump into the little boy. He is short, half a head smaller than Tony, and scrawny, with an unpleasant sneer on his face. He is the sort of boy who you can tell writes his sixes drooping to one side, like they are depressed, and Tony immediately dislikes him.

"Who are you?" The voice is snivelling, high pitched and nasal, and it makes Tony's upper lip curl.

"Depends- who's asking?"

"None of your business."

"Well, piss off then; we've got places to be." Tony pushes roughly past him, Pepper trotting after, and he reaches out his hand to snatch a cupcake only to have it smartly smacked away by the small red head. The boy scowls, and the young prodigy smirks triumphantly.

Despite their trip to town, they are still the first to the lake, Clintasha off doing something mysterious that Tony doesn't know about (he maintains that they are either robbing people or making out, though the second seems rather unlikely). Pepper sets up the picnic while Tony basks in the sun, listening to her ceaseless chatter.

His cousin really is something else- she's not a prodigy, not like him or Bruce or maybe even Loki, but she sees things in a way that most people never will. She is good at getting her way in a way that Tony is not used to- Tasha and Thor have physical strength to threaten people with, and Loki talks people into things. Tony just flashes his money around and suddenly the world is on his doorstep, while Bruce looks so tragic and forlorn that people will do things for him just to ease a guilty conscience. Clint simply nicks anything that takes his fancy, and Steve- well, he supposes Mr Perfect is just so selfless that he never tries to get what he wants unless it's what they want too.

Pepper though- she looks up with those massive eyes and the face full of freckles, smiling because she never seems to do anything but, and suddenly it seems like all that matters in the world, the life ambition that has been cherished from age five, more important than any worthwhile deed in the history of ever, is making her happy and giving her what she wants. He wonders if she stole Loki's spell book and learnt hypnotism, but is forced to admit that it's probably because she is just a genuinely nice, likeable person. The thought that he could be related to someone like that floors him, because it is everything his family is not- it is kindness, compassion, energy, a joy for life, and an urgent need to share that joy with others. He envies this of her, because if her world is rose coloured glasses then his are slowly greying.

Steve and Bruce arrive, and though Bruce's bruises are almost gone, Steve is sporting a brand new shiner across his cheek- apparently Ross has decided that though Bruce is off the table, Steve is still fair game. Normally Tasha patches Steve up, but she isn't here yet, and there's no way that Tony is going to fuss over the older boy. It falls to Bruce and Pepper to dab his face with ice and soothingly pet his head respectively.

"What are you doing here then?" The voice sneers, and Tony whips around to see the stupid kid from earlier standing on the path and peering at them with what looks like revulsion.

"Did you follow us?!" Shock and outrage are clear in Pepper's voice, and she shoots a fierce glare at-

"Seriously, who the hell are you?" demands Tony, and Steve nudges Bruce away from his face so he can speak.

"That's Justin Hammer- he's the town snitch."

"I'll tell your mother you said that," growls the smaller boy, and Steve raises an eyebrow as if to say 'see what I mean.'

"Well, Justin, how do I put this succinctly? We don't want you here. Go away," snaps Tony. Justin, however, doesn't seem to be listening- his gaze has focused in on Bruce, and he is grinning gleefully.

"It's little Brucie Banner! Hey, hey, Bruce- Ross is gonna get you. He told me to tell you if I saw you, he's gonna get you as soon as those stupid princes have gotten out of our country. He told me he's gonna twist your arm above your head so far that it breaks, and then he's gonna give you a punch to the face for every day that he's missed, and then he's going to-"

Tony doesn't know who looks angrier: him, Steve or Pepper. All he knows is that Bruce has gone pale and is visibly shaking, while his vision has turned an interesting shade of crimson. The young Stark grabs Hammer by the front of his shirt, and somehow (despite actively avoiding exercise and having next to no arm muscle) lifts him clean off his feet.

"Listen here, you little twerp." His voice is low, dangerous, a tone he doesn't think he's ever used before, and for good measure he shakes the other boy. "I see you again- hell, I even catch whiff of a rat- and you are dead. Bruce is our friend, and if you want to hurt him you're gonna have to go through us."

"Oh, yeah?" Hammer sneers, though he can't disguise the quiver in his voice. "I'm so scared. What are you gonna do, talk at me?" With a yell that is equal parts anger, irritation and frustration at this sneak, Tony shoves him into the lake. The smaller boy emerges a few seconds later, coughing and gasping and screaming profanities while Pepper cheers.

"Now for the last time- fuck off!" yells Tony, as sodden and very annoyed Justin Hammer struggles onto the bank. Casting one last furious look at the young prodigy, he hurries away down the path. A moment later, Tony looks down to find Bruce's arms wrapped around his waist, his eyes wide and grateful. Steve has maintained distance, but grins and gives a thumbs up. Only Pepper does not seem heartened by this turn of events.

"Tony," she says earnestly, clearly disapproving, "you said a bad word." Tony can only gape at her.

"Clint says bad words all the time!" he protests, and no, he doesn't sound like a petulant child so Steve can _stop smirking!_ Pepper simply frowns further.

"Clint's allowed to," she says, as though it is obvious. Before Tony can protest this double standard, a voice sounds from the trees on the other side of the clearing.

"What am I allowed to do?"

They explain what happened to Clintasha, and then they do it again a few minutes later when Thorki arrive. Thor swears upon his ancestors (Tony isn't quite sure what they've got to do with anything) that if he sees Ross in town the older boy won't know what hit him, and somehow they don't doubt it.

It turns out Tony needn't have worried- Tasha insists on all the boys getting another coat of nail polish, just to make sure they aren't picking it off. Pepper asks if she's allowed to paint peoples' toenails, and for some reason Tony isn't at all surprised when everyone complies.

"Lady Tasha," says Thor, wiggling his toes in the sun as he waits for them to dry. "Let me offer my sincerest apologies for my behaviour against your sex- you truly are equal, and I was foolish to believe otherwise." Though Tasha sniffs, she looks slightly mollified, though Tony wonders how much of it is sincere and how much is to try and get into her good books.

"I," interjects Loki, "have never alluded anything but. Women are capable of everything men are, and many things that men are not." A small smile tugs at Tony's lips- if he had ever met a bigger pair of suck ups then he's clearly forgotten about it.

Tasha seems to be thinking along the same lines, because he's barely blinked before she's got Thor's pop and Loki's chocolate bar in her lap, along with her own. That evening, though, she kisses them each on the cheek as they say goodnight, and their expressions would have been obvious to a blind man- totally worth it.

"Tony," Bruce whispers before they part at the end of the path. Tony bends down to hear what the smaller boy has to say. "_I think Thor and Loki like Tasha_." He has to fight back a laugh at this, and instead feigns wonder.

"You think? Hey, maybe you and Pepper can go on a double date with them!" At this, both the smaller children turn bright red, but Pepper- seemingly emboldened by Tasha's actions- gives Bruce a quick peck on the cheek before trotting off briskly, Tony following behind. When he glances over his shoulder, he sees that Bruce is practically floating home.

"Hey, Pep," he asks as they walk back, the time on his watch reading 6 o'clock even though it is still broad daylight. "Why is Clint allowed to swear and I'm not?"

"Because Justin is a snitch, and I don't want him telling mummy that you swore at him- what if she says I'm not allowed to play with you anymore?"

"That- that actually makes perfect sense," he concedes. "Fair point." She beams at him, and they continue the walk home in companionable silence.

The next day Thor is proud to announce to Steve that Ross will no longer be a problem- and that the princeling had taken great pleasure in reminding the bully several times that he was being beaten up by a younger boy in nail polish. Tasha smiles and Tony smirks to himself. _Point to Thor._ He eagerly awaits Loki's next move.

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**Please review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**So, I go back to school tomorrow night, and since it's a boarding school with strict internet regulations Ican only update at the weekend. So, we move from semi-regular updates to once a week. Sorry about that :/**

**Blerb: Thor beat up Ross, not Justin Hammer. That's what he was so proud of (Ross had been hurting Steve).**

**This chapter is... I like some parts of it, but then there are other bits that I'm not too happy with. I sort of went all breakfast club with it. But, I'm introducing a crowd favourite, so please don't kill me if he seems out of character...**

**Thank you to keepcalmandwrite for the amazing reviews and the shoutout!**

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The same day that Thor announces he has beaten up Ross (again) they decide to have another swim in the lake. All the swimsuits are still up there, in a plastic bag hanging from the branches of Clint's favourite tree, and they get dressed quickly before diving in.

It is while they are swimming that Tony realises how skinny Clintasha are getting. They were always thin- it's not like they had the sort of lives where they could stuff their faces in front of a TV- but this is worrying. Clint's ribs are protruding too far over his stomach, and Tasha's collarbone looks like it may snap at any moment it's so raised. Their arms and legs are spindly, muscle that was there before having wasted away to nothing. The sight of it makes Tony's gut churn uncomfortably, and that evening, when they're out of the water, he sidles up to Clint and quietly asks how much the runaways have been eating.

The other boy stills immediately, and his eyes flash to Tony in a way that reminds the young prodigy of a cornered animal. He doesn't want to push it, but he knows he has to, so he asks again- how much have they been eating?

"We have to make our break-ins incon- inconspi- sneaky, okay Tony? So we don't take more than two cans, and we wait a month before going back to the same house again, and then some nights their security is too good and we can't get in, but it's okay, we have the picnic, it's not like we're starving or anything!"

"You're surviving off two peanut butter sandwiches, a chocolate bar, a bottle of pop and one to two cans of food a night? At most?"

"Oh, god, Tony, when you put it like that, I just-"

"Clint, you can't do this! I'm going to help."

"Tony, Tony no, you can't turn us in, Tasha will go to jail, they'll find Barney and send him to jail, I'll probably be sent to jail too for, um, 'aiding and abetting' I think it's called, Tony..." Clint trails off as Tony fixes him with a level stare.

"Are you done?" The younger boy nods glumly. "For Christ's sake, Clint! I'm not going to turn you in! Me and Pepper can head to town tomorrow and buy you a butt load of food! Bloody hell, I thought we were past this!"

And Clint is looking at him, a look filled with hope and joy and wonder and all these little kid things that Tony doesn't think he's ever seen on Clint's face (not that he's saying they shouldn't be there) and Jesus, what has happened to him, because now he finds himself hugging the other boy, and why are they hugging?!

"Clint and Tony sitting in a tree!" sings Tasha, appearing from nowhere. Both boys blush bright red and glare at her.

"Piss off!" growls Clint, and Tony flips her the bird. In the background he sees Steve's shocked and horrified face, and that makes him smirk a bit.

"Oh, and by the way," he says to Clint, voice low, "it's 'inconspicuous.'"

The next morning sees Tony and Pepper emerging from the local supermarket, Pepper dragging a bright red wagon behind her. The wagon is piled high with canned foods, packets of dried fruits, bags of nuts, bottles of pop and various juice boxes, a box of plastic cutlery, a box of matches and a can opener. It turned out that, since Clintasha aren't Survival Steve, the only cooked food they've had in the past two and a half months has been the s'mores from the campout.

The cost is somewhere in the hundreds of dollars, but Tony doesn't mind footing the bill on his credit card- it's not like his dad will notice, and he doesn't mind buying food for his friends (because he offered, they didn't ask).

It's a hot day, and before they reach the end of the street Pepper is panting with the strain of the wagon. Taking pity on her, Tony decides to help, and gets out the back, resolving to walk instead. As he sighs and wills his legs to carry him forward, he notices a man hanging around the corner of the street, watching people and looking decidedly shady. Before he can suggest to Pepper that they go another way, the man notices them, and begins to walk over.

He has a vague, slightly lost expression, but his eyes are a sharp blue, and Tony feels like he knows exactly what is going on. He's in a smart suit with polished shoes, and the young prodigy's first thought is that they're about to be arrested for harbouring fugitives.

"Hello there," says the man, kneeling down in front of them. "Is there any chance I could talk to you for a minute?"

"We don't talk to strangers," Tony says automatically, Pepper nodding next to him. The man also nods.

"Well, that's very wise. But I'm not a stranger, you see- I work with the government. My name is Phil Coulson, and I work with Social Services."

"Let me see your badge." Mr Coulson smiles and reaches into his pocket, pulling out an I.D that shows exactly what he just said.

"I'm afraid I don't get a badge, only this. Now, I was wondering if either of you had met these children? Possibly on the streets, or hanging around in a park? You see, they're missing, and we're very worried about them." He reaches into his pocket again and shows them two photos, one of Clint and one of Tasha. They are cleaner, their hair is shorter and their faces are a little rounder, but there is no mistaking them.

"I don't live here," Tony says slowly, blinking at the photo, "but my cousin Pepper does. Pep, have you ever seen these two."

"Nope," she says, shaking her head and looking up at Mr Coulson with her impossibly huge eyes. "But I can tell you if I do." Mr Coulson peers around them and eyes the wagon full of food.

"So why do two kids need enough food to last a month, if you don't mind me saying?"

"Our family is going camping and we were sent to get supplies- there's eight of us, so we need a lot. How is this relevant?" The lie slips off his tongue before his brain has caught up with his mouth, and when Mr Coulson turns those piercing blue eyes on him he feels sure that he's been found out. Instead, the man stands to full height.

"Any friend of theirs will help me to help them." And before Tony can protest that, what, we're not their friends, we've never even met them, Mr Coulson is gone.

When they get to the lake, the grins from Clintasha at the sight of the food soon drop when Tony and Pepper retell their tale. Tasha is particularly affected, though she tries to hide it.

"They were supposed to think I was dead. Oh god, they were- why don't they think I'm dead?!"

"Because there wasn't a second set of remains?" suggests Tony, only to be quelled by a glare from the redhead. Thor tries to put a comforting arm around her, only to get shoved over. Loki doesn't even smirk, which worries Tony more than anything else.

"It's okay, Tasha," Clint tries to soothe. "We'll just have to keep ourselves extra hidden. With all the food we don't have to break in anymore, so we can just stay down here. Who's going to look for us down here anyway?" Tasha doesn't look convinced, but nods.

"But he said he can help you," says Pepper, looking confused. "Isn't that a good thing?" The runaways glance at each other, and Tony can see them having a silent conversation that no one else can understand. Eventually, Clint turns to the young girl.

"He said he can help, but he didn't mean it, okay Pep? Adults lie all the time. You can't trust any of them."

"But what if he's different?"

"He's not, Pepper."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"But how?"

"He's not! Just get it into your thick head!" Clint suddenly shouts, looking angrier than Tony's ever seen him. "They're all the same! They lie and they cheat and they say they'll help you but they won't! He's not going to help us, he's going to lock us up and throw away the key! So are you with us or against us?!" Tony steps in front of Pepper, who is starting to cry.

"Enough! What the hell, Clint?"

"She doesn't get it! Why is she even here? She's not like us! She should just-" Whatever Clint is going to say next is cut off by a sharp slap from Tasha that leaves him reeling. For a moment he gapes up at her, lips moving wordlessly, before he reddens slightly. With a jerk of her head, Tasha indicates an inconsolable Pepper, and the blush deepens. He mutters something unintelligible, but at a furious glare from Tony sighs and kneels in front of the young girl. "Pepper? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." She flings himself into his arms, and through her gasping breaths Tony can just about make out what she says.

"I'm just... I'm just scared... I don't... I don't want to be like them... I don't want to be a liar... what about when we're adults? What if... what if we're like them?" The runaway strokes her hair and rocks her back and forth.

"It's okay Pep... it's okay... look at me- we are never going to be anything like them. I promise. Okay?" She nods mutely, and Tasha gives her a hug, and Steve ruffles her hair, and Thor declares the lady Pepper to be a kind and caring princess, and Loki tickles her until she squeals, and Tony just sits by her side and let's Clint know with his eyes that if he ever does anything like that to his cousin again, there will be consequences. The runaway nods in agreement, and suddenly the moment has passed and they're sitting in a loose circle, playing bullshit and insulting each other, safe in the knowledge that they are nothing like their parents.

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**Coulson loves reviews, just so ya know :P**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! Hi! Sorry for the wait, but you;re going to have to get used to it, because there's absolutely nothing I can do about it! Sorry!**

**And I know some people aren't too fond of the ships I chose, and I'm sorry that you don't like them, but I sort of wanted to get off the beaten track ship-wise. And no- people cannot date their cousins. I'm sorry, I don't do incest, particularly between pre-teens!**

**With that said, read, review, enjoy!**

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It's day four since Tasha and Pepper announced The Great Polish Punishment (as it's come to be called) and they're all allowed to get the polish off. Bruce refuses, instead opting for a touch up on his toes, but the rest of them are all too eager to comply- they just want it off already!

It's also been two days since Thor beat up Ross, and it's now Loki's turn to make a move in the great game that is Natasha Romanoff's heart (that Tony thinks they're fools for even attempting to win).

"Tasha?" says Loki quietly, believing them to be out of earshot (Tony mentally thanks Clint for laughing at him until he worked on his sneaking, even if he did end up being punched by Tasha as a result).

"Yeah?" she asks, not really looking at him- she is sat cross-legged on the grass, tongue poking out between her lips as she carefully redoes her thumb.

"I saw this in a store, and it made me think of you- because, because, you're beautiful, but you have thorns, so you can defend yourself if you need to, and your hair is red and this is red, and here," Loki manages in a rushed gasp, thrusting a prickly stemmed red rose into her surprised hands before hurrying off. For a moment she is silent. Then a small sigh, and a

"Come on, Stark; I know you're there."

Damn.

"Tasha and Loki, sitting in a tree," he sings gleefully. She sighs again, staring at the rose she's cradling in her lap, and a shadow passes across her face. Tony pauses.

"What the matter?"

"Nothing."

"You know, for a super cool ninja spy girl thing, you're a terrible liar sometimes," says Tony, sitting cross legged on the grass next to her. She doesn't reply, and he frowns. "Come on, Tasha- what is it? Is it because of Thor? Do you love him? Or is it Clint? I bet it's Clint. I bet you and Clint used to sneak into each other's beds in the orphanage. I bet you kiss him when we're not around. Loki and Thor are going to be heartbroken. They're probably going to beat up your boyfriend. Clint's going to be black and blue, and it'll be all your fault. You-" He doesn't see so much as hear the fist that connects to his jaw, but he definitely feels it, and how the hell does someone even punch that hard while sitting down?!

But she's glaring down at where he's flattened against the grass, gasping and clutching his face.

"You're an asshole, Tony," she hisses, and next second they're surrounded by their friends. Thorki immediately get to work making sure Tasha is okay, while Clint and Steve take the opportunity to laugh at him. Bruce and Pepper just look concerned, but that fades with Tony's muttered 'I'm fine.'

"The only thing that's hurt is his pride," Thor chortles(and really- who chortles?) before giving the young prodigy a hand up. Tony scowls, and Bruce tactfully suggests that why don't they play a few rounds of bullshit? The rest agree, but Tony opts out, citing the need to pee as an excuse to wandering off for some time alone.

That had been an overreaction, right? Yeah. Definitely. What sort of lunatic goes around punching people? Though, if he is honest with himself (which he prides himself on not being) perhaps he had gone too far. But, still. She didn't need to punch him.

He knows how to get people to talk to him- he's had a lot of practice. You push and push, until they snap, and in a moment of frustration tell you everything you want to know. _Is it because you're a bad accountant? Is that why? Or has your work been lapsing because your girlfriend left you? Because I know she did. I hacked your email, and she called you a small-dicked faggot with no clue how to treat a woman properly. Did you get fired because you're a faggot? That's what one of the maids said. She also said you were a terrible lay; is that why your girlfriend dumped you? Because you cheated? Because-_

_Shut up, you fucking brat! It's because your daddy's precious company is on the blitz, that's why! I'm going to be walking home five years from now, and I'm going to see you begging on the street, and I'm going to spit on you! I'm- where the fuck do you think you're going?_

_To find out what's wrong with the company- Julie in PRs niece just died, I'll talk to her._

_You're a shit, you know that?_

_And you're redundant- have a nice life._

But Tasha isn't one of his father's associates, or one of the maids that he's caught sneaking around the house, or even his father- she is his size, and he was pushing what is clearly a sensitive topic, and perhaps for a genius he isn't the smartest person.

But why is it such a freaking touchy subject?

Stumped, Tony sits down to try and work it out. It's times like these he really hates his dad- if he was allowed to play with other kids all the time, instead of just once a year (if that) then maybe he wouldn't have so much trouble working them out. As it is, he does, and it _sucks._

So he thinks about what he knows about Tasha- what she's told them, on the few times she's opened up.

She's from Russia, and only got US citizenship, like, two years ago.

Her dad was a drunk, and died of alcohol poisoning when she was, like, nine.

She got sent to an orphanage, where she met Clint.

Like, five months ago she got adopted by Dr Creep, the handsy dentist.

They burned his house down, killed him and ran away.

And now they're here.

It was messed up, like all of them, but Tony needed to work out where this particular problem came from. So, he focused on the things to do with love.

Well, she probably loved her dad- as far as he was aware, the man hadn't hit her, had even gone so far as to teach her ballet. But then he died.

Then there was the dentist- Clint had told them once that he had said he loved her every night when he left her room, something Tony found so horrible it made him shudder. So, yeah, that would be a turnoff.

Plus, she was with Clint when Barney massively betrayed him. Not great.

And it sort of falls into place for Tony, in a moment that makes him remember why they call him a genius. Every scrap of love she's seen turned sour- death, betrayal, the works. And suddenly there are two boys who are fighting for her love, or her heart, or whatever, and that probably scares her but maybe she likes it a little bit too, maybe she's flattered because it's never happened before, and then there's another boy who she definitely likes, even if she doesn't _like like _him, and Tony is talking about how he going to get hurt by two people she's probably just waiting to betray her and sort of likes liking her, and that it will be all her fault, and wow, he's a _dick_.

"What took you so long?" comments Barton when he arrives back in the clearing. Tony shrugs noncommittally.

"Got stuck pondering super-charged ions and their uses in clean fuel." No one really has a reply to that, so he goes to sit with Tasha, who is taking her turn to sit out with a furiously blushing and very silent Loki. Pepper has done some intricate braid, and Tasha's hair is all pinned up, with the rose tucked just above her ear. Tony takes a moment to wonder how girls _do _that- he's a certified genius who is working out how to develop his own artificial intelligence and he is _clueless_- but only a moment. Then she turns to glare at him and his gaze drops to his feet sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," he mutters. God, he hates those words. Still, they need to be said. "What I did was really shitty, and I shouldn't have done it. Can... can you forgive me?" She stares at him for a long moment, and he fights the urge to wriggle uncomfortably, knowing that he's probably as red as Loki right now. Then she tilts her head to one side, and her eyes narrow. His stomach drops.

Well, having friends was nice while it lasted.

"I want your chocolate bar and your pop, and then maybe we can call it quits."

He doesn't grin like an idiot. _He doesn't._

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**__Reviewers get all the feels!**

**Oh, and if you have any ideas for what they do next, tell me! They've only got about three weeks of summer left to do it in! O.o**


	17. Chapter 17

**After the angst and gloom of the last few chapters, I thought it would be nice to give you something fluffy! With that in mind, have a lovely chapter of them joking, bonding, and just being kids.**

**Also, I'm so so sorry, but I won't be able to update next weekend- it's my school's founder's weekend, and we all have to stay in :( With that in mind, don't panic when you don't see any alerts from me.**

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"I've had a novel idea," suggests Loki one day, as they relax by the lake. "Why don't we do what Pepper's parents believe us to be doing, and actually try fishing?"

Fishing hasn't been mentioned since they explained to Thor and Loki that it is just a cover for why they spent so much time by the lake. Pepper and Tony hadn't even gotten as far as baiting the hooks on that first day before Clint had interrupted them. Despite this, they have brought their fishing rods down to the lake every day for the last ten weeks. There is a pause as they consider this idea.

"Sure," says Tony; "Why not?"

They spend the next two hours crawling along the forest floor on their hands and knees, trying to find worms. Well, _most _of them at least. Pepper has taken it upon herself to dash from person to person, chivvying them along and barking orders.

"You could just help, you know," Tony grumbles, and she laughs.

"I am helping- you need me to keep you in line."

"I could manage fine without you."

"Oh really? What's the number for the padlock on the cupboard where we keep the poles."

"Uh... five?"

"Mm... missing just a couple of digits there."

When they have the bait bucket half full Pepper sits them down on the grass and gives them a demonstration on how to bait the hook, how to cast, and how to reel it in once it's caught. The others are just as clueless as he is, and this time Tony doesn't feel shame in his incompetence. Once the demonstration is over, Clintasha shotgun the first go with the rods, leaving the others to play bullshit and watch their hilarious attempts to cast it properly. Pepper soon abandons the card game in favour of making sure they don't kill themselves.

Each pair gets half an hour before the next two take their turn. After Clintasha go Thorki, and then star spangled banner, with Bruce being the first to catch a fish. There is great excitement in reeling it in, and on seeing the blood trickling out of its lip the young boy immediately bursts into tears and insists that it be thrown back. After that he refuses to fish anymore. Loki agrees with him on this- the sight of the wriggling, fleshy body elicits something in the princeling that the pet snake doesn't, and he refuses to come near it. Instead they sit to the side, and when Tony tunes his ears into their conversation, he hears Loki telling him tall tales about some giant bird thing called a 'Bilgesnipe' that chased Thor naked through the ground of their palace, sobbing and screaming, when the elder prince was barely more than eight. Thor hears this too, and he rounds on his brother, an embarrassed flush on his face.

"It wasn't funny! The beast had every intention of consuming me for its supper!"

"Bilgesnipes are insectivores, Thor!"

"How was I supposed to know?!"

"Because at the petting zoo you feed them buckets of crickets! Everyone knows that!"

"I got chased by a goose once," interjects Steve, and when they pause, looking at him in confusion, he elaborates. "I was at my cousin Bucky's farm, and I had just turned six. Bucky had to save me- did you know that geese have teeth on their tongues?!"

"My uncle had a pig that he kept in his house," offers Pepper, "and when we first visited I was five and I'd never seen a pig before. I hid in a cupboard for three hours I was so scared."

"I was walking home from school one day and a rabid fox leapt out of a trash can in front of me. I had to climb up a tree and stay there until someone called the police and they shot it." They grin at Clint, and Tasha, seemingly emboldened, takes her turn.

"I went still in Russia and I went for a walk through the woods with my friend Anna," she tells them, "and we were on our way back when we ran into a momma bear and her cubs. It chased us through the woods into this abandoned old cottage. We were out there for three days before the rescue party found us."

"I was climbing the jungle-gym in the park," offers Bruce, "and there was a spider on it the size of my face. It gave me such a fright I fell and broke my arm- turns out it was somebody's escaped tarantula!" Tony smirks.

"I walked in on one of the maids getting changed once, and she spent two hours chasing me until I lost her by hiding in the vents above the fume cupboard. My dad was in his lab, and started using it, not knowing I was there. I ended up in the hospital for three days because of carbon monoxide poisoning!"

"Three days ago," begins Loki, looking very sheepish, "Jörmungandr escaped from his cage and got into my bed. It... surprised me, to say the least." Thor turns to him, eyes bulging.

"Was that the scream I heard?!"

"It wasn't a scream! It was a very manly yelp."

"Brother, I heard it and-"

"Brother, I uttered it and-"

"No but you could not hear-"

"It escaped my own throat, I'm sure I could hear it better than-"

"You just don't want to admit to-"

"You're just mad at me for besting you in-"

"You did not best me! You cheated! And I-"

"How does one cheat at a staring contest? By the gods, Thor, just-"

"Just because you are ashamed of your vocal chords you-"

By five o'clock, they have caught eight fish, all of which were thrown back. They've all caught one except Loki, and Survival Steve manages to catch two. Tony takes great pains to remind him that fishing doesn't actually involve any skill, and stamps on Bruce's foot when the smaller boy opens his mouth to say otherwise. They agree to try again tomorrow, and Steve promises to bring in a frying pan so that they can cook the fish to go with their lunch.

When they arrive the next morning, it is to the sight of a sheepishly grinning Clint and a stony-faced Tasha. She has a split lip, and he has a black eye and occasionally sneezes up blood. As it transpires, Clint thought it would be funny to take some of the worms they caught the day before and put them in Tasha's hair while she was sleeping. Things... deteriorated from there.

While Thor and Tasha have first go with the rods, Tony has a great time teasing Clint about the shiner and Pepper helps Survival Steve set up a fire. Bruce and Loki are deeply engrossed in a game of chess, and Loki's frown suggests it isn't going well for the young prince.

This time Tasha is the first to catch a fish, and they celebrate it by dropping it back into the lake in their surprise at a sudden wriggle. Tony manages to catch the next one, and Clint gets covered in blood when he attempts to gut it. Bruce throws up in a bush, and Loki ends up taking shelter on the top of the hillock, pelting pebbles at the young runaway who is cheerfully trying to hug him.

Survival Steve takes over at this point, and the rest of them are delegated to watching mulishly (or nauseously in the case of Bruce, who is still not recovered). It's Thor and Pepper's turn to take another go, and Thor manages to get a fair sized fish that their self appointed camp leader declares to be a trout. It is a literal case of 'out of the frying pan, into the fire' when Tony tries flipping it and drops it into the embers and the ash. They are back to square one.

It is four o'clock when they finally manage to get one cooked and settle down for lunch. For a moment, there is silence. Then

"Steve, this is possibly the most disgusting fish I have ever eaten in my life." Steve tries to shoot an angry scowl at the younger of the two princes, but ends up sighing resignedly.

"Yeah, it is pretty foul."

"It's okay," grins Pepper, going to the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing. "We thought this might happen, so we came prepared." She pulls out the picnic basket, and everyone's faces split into grins.

"Lady Pepper, you are truly a goddess amongst mortals!" booms Thor. Pepper just nods.

"I know."

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**I'm not overly thrilled with this chapter- I'm running out of ideas, and they're running out of summer, with only two weeks left! I think maybe one or two more chapters in this style, and then I'll wrap it up over another three or four chapters. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**IT'S AN UPDATE! HALLELUJAH!**

**I actually really like this chapter, which is a refreshing change! It was inspired by a suggestion from keepcalmandwrite, though I have tweaked the idea a bit, and it turned out far better than I hoped! Hopefully this makes up for two weeks without updates! I've got two more chapters planned, and then it's back to Asgard for Thorki and back to the big city for Tony :'(. It may interest you to know, however, that I'm thinking of doing a companion piece to this; I can't tell you too much about it now, because that would spoil the ending for this story, but I will say that it focuses on Clintasha. If you're interested, let me know.**

**And could I say, 99 reviews? You're all amazing. So, so amazing, thank you to everyone who reviews! I read every one of them, and even though I may not be the best about replying, they do mean a lot to me! Thank you!**

**So, without further ado, onto the chapter!**

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"Remind me why we let Pepper talk us into this?" Clint mumbles to Tony as they scootch into a circle. Tony shrugs, but he knows exactly why- Pepper blinked her massive eyes at them and they all asked how high. It helped that her ceaseless smile had slipped slightly, the very sight being enough to send the clearing into a panic.

"We're almost teenagers," she had begged, "and this is what teenagers do!" No one had had the heart to point out to her that she was only eight, and therefore not almost a teenager in any culture whatsoever.

"One rule," Steve pipes up as they get ready to begin. "No daring anyone to kiss, okay?" Either he ignores the dark looks Thor and Loki send him or he's even more oblivious than Tony had believed. The young prodigy is fine with it- the only girl in the clearing he's not related to is Tasha, and anything lovey-dovey to do with her would invoke the wrath of his Asgardian friends. And he definitely won't do it if kissing boys is involved- what if he has to kiss Steve?! The very thought makes him shudder.

Eight games of rock, paper, scissors later and Tasha gets to go first- _you would think _Tony muses to himself _that we'd have learnt by now. _She leans forward and spins the pop bottle, now filled with lake water to give it weight. It twirls on the grass a few times before coming to rest on Clint, who puffs his chest out.

"Truth or dare, Clint?"

"Dare, obviously."

"I dare you to... drink the bottle of lake water!"

Tony and the others all _oooohhh! _at Clint's flicker of panic, but the next moment his smug expression is back in place and he reaches forward and grabs the bottle.

"Easy!" Screwing the cap off, he begins to chug. Tony winces, stomach churning at the sight- he can see bits of pondweed and sediment floating around in the water quickly disappearing down the young runaway's gullet. Finishing, he drops the bottle with a grimace. "Gross!"

"That's really dangerous." Bruce looks worried. "I have a medical book that my gran bought me, and it says that if you drink unfiltered water you can contract all kinds of diseases, like typhoid fever, and cholera, and-"

"It's fine, Bruce, I'll be fine. Now- my turn!" Clint eagerly grabs the bottle and sends it spinning, a wicked grin splitting his face when it lands on Steve. "Okay, Steve- truth or dare?"

"Um... truth?" Steve doesn't sound sure, and Tony wonders if he's ever played it before. Probably not- from what the young prodigy knows, his amicable rival used to spend his free time getting beat up and rescuing helpless kittens from perilous situations.

"When was the last time you wet the bed?" Once again, they all _ooooohhh!_ as Steve flushes red. "Remember- you have to answer truthfully!" Steve mumbles something under his breath "I'm sorry, what?"

"Last summer- my cousin forced me to drink ten cups of water before bed."

"You were eleven?!" Tony hoots, and the rest of them break into giggles (or manly chuckles, depending on who's being asked). Somehow, the blonde's blush deepens.

"Okay, you know what? My turn!" He attempts to spin the bottle with a sharp flick of his wrist, but only succeeds in throwing it halfway across the clearing.

"I think we need more lake water in there," Clint notes innocently. "It looks like someone drank it all." Steve does not look impressed, but when he retrieves the bottle tops he it up again anyway.

"Let's try this again," he mutters to himself. This time it spins quickly and easily, coming to a rest on Pepper, who grins excitedly.

"Dare! No, truth! No, dare!"

"I dare you to... climb that tree." Her face drops.

"But... that's really boring."

"I dared you to do it, you have to." She sighs and darts up the tree as quick as a monkey. Steve determinedly avoids the looks the others are giving him. "What?" he hisses under his breath. "I'm not going to dare her to do something dangerous. Just because the rest of you are completely reckless doesn't mean that I am!"

"Simple." Pepper pouts slightly as she sits back down.

The rest of the game passes in much the same way. Tony has to jump in the lake with all his clothes on. Loki dares Thor to take his boxers off and spend the rest of the game commando, which the young prince stoically does, hiding the underwear in a nearby bush so that Tasha and Pepper 'need not have their purity tainted.' Bruce's attempt at daring Tony to give him his chocolate bar is surprisingly successful, but Tony has his revenge when the younger boy unwisely chooses truth.

"So, do you like Pepper, or do you _like like_ her, or do you _love _her?" Bruce freezes, Pepper's eyes widening as she leans forward, eager to hear the answer. He sends her a quick, panicked glance before looking back at Tony.

"Um... I... I don't... um... It's not like... I just... I don't understand what you mean?"

"He means," Clint interjects, "do you like her as a friend, or do you only like her to kiss her, or do you love her and want to get married and stay with her even if she gets fat and wrinkly?"

"Oh," Bruce's face clears and he looks relieved. "I love her." Tony doesn't miss the pink tinge to his ears as he says that, but Pepper's face breaks into a happy smile- not like she ever does anything _but_- and Tony hides a small smile of his own.

Truth is rarely picked, and Tony feels that they're all pretty relieved about that- not only are dares more fun, but with them being... well, _them_, it's all too easy to stray into dangerous ground, and no one really wants that. So Tony and Loki team up, and use two consecutive goes to double whammy Clintasha: they hold Clint down and Tasha has to lick his feet. It's difficult- there are several close calls when, because of Clint's squirming, one of them almost gets a fist to the eye. It is worth it, however, to see Tasha's disgusted face, nails desperately trying to scrape the taste from her tongue, and Clint, bright red from squealing (manly squealing, earning him a smack from Tasha) and laughing, and perhaps more than a touch of embarrassment. Pepper has to stand on her head for three minutes, and when she rights herself she's swaying dizzily and softly giggling to herself. Loki and Tasha swap clothes. Thor has to nuzzle Steve's hair. Bruce is dared to eat a spider, but bursts into tears at the sight of the helpless creature, and instead is dared to explain to Pepper what sex is. The young girl indignantly objects, stating that she knows what it is, thank you very much, it's when two adults kiss while naked, and it makes a baby. They all nod and tell her yes, that's it exactly, because they're too busy trying to keep a straight face to correct her.

And if Steve falls asleep during a lull in the conversation, spread out in the sunshine, while then how are they supposed to resist pulling out one of the lilos Thorki left behind after their pool day and setting him to slowly drift into the lake? Once he reaches the middle, Clint uses his amazing aim to get him-bop!- straight on the forehead with a small pebble. The young patriot has just enough time to awaken with a snort before he rolls off the floatation device and straight into the water. He's not pleased, but oh man is it worth it to see the look on his face when he surfaces, gasping and spluttering. The very thought of it has Tony chuckling for the rest of the night.

Steve manages to rise above it for about two minutes before deciding revenge is a far more satisfying option. He jumps back in and crawls out clutching great clumps of pondweed which he proceeds to mash into everyone's faces- everyone except Pepper and Bruce, who take refuge up a tree, holding hands and apologising profusely. Tony has never used puppy dog eyes- the adults he's with wouldn't care, and besides, money's always gotten him everything he wants- but after today he's seriously considering developing a pair. The amount Pepper and Bruce can get away with is ridiculous! Which reminds him...

"If we have Clintasha, Pepperoni, Thorki and Star Spangled Banner then should we have a name for Pepper and Bruce?" he asks the others. Pepper and Bruce both flush red, but the rest of them grin.

"We could call them... puce?" suggests Steve. Clint wrinkles his nose.

"Ew! Isn't that the stone people use to remove dead skin from their feet?"

"No, that's pumice." Tony Stark, resident know-it-all, and proud as hell of it!

"Then what's puce?"

"It's that weird, not-quite-purple purple colour." They all swivel to stare at Steve, who raises his hands defensively. "What?"

"How the hell do you know that?" demands Tony.

"Is it a crime to know what puce is?"

"Steve, when a person is as dumb as you, they don't just know things like that off the top of their heads."

"Shove off! Anyway, I paint. I've seen puce on the colour charts before." No one is quite sure how to react to that revelation, so they turn their attention back to finding Bruce and Pepper a couple name.

"If only your surname was black- then we could call you two black pepper!"

"How 'bout flower pot?"

"Where did that come from?"

"Well, Bruce likes flowers, and Pepper's surname is Potts, so I thought, maybe..."

"Just give up, Steve."

Eventually, after much brain racking, they settle on potted banner, with a promise to change it if something better occurs to them. Bruce rolls his eyes and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'my friends suck,' though Tony can't be sure, while Pepper blushes and flips them the bird, which earns raised eyebrows all round.

"And when did you start doing that?" asks Tony.

"Just now."

"And who said it was okay for you to do that?"

"You and Clint do it to Steve all the time!"

"That doesn't make it okay for you to do it!"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

"Who died and made you queen?"

"I'm older than you, and you have to do as I say!"

"Bullshit!"

"Stop swearing!"

"No! Not until you give me a good reason!"

"Because... because..."

"I'm waiting!"

"Give me a second!"

"Is it because you're older? Because you said last week that ageism is the last remaining prejudice and a pitiful excuse used by the old to defend themselves from their younger, more savvy counterparts."

"No, it's-"

"Is it because you're boys? Because if it is, Tasha will beat you up!"

"It's not because you're a girl, it's-"

"Didn't Loki say it was called a double standard, when you say someone can't do something even if you do it yourself? You have double standards Tony! You're a... a hypocrite! Yeah! You're a hypocrite and-"

"It's because I don't want you to be like us!" There is a stunned silence as Tony drops to the ground, defeated. "I don't want you to be like us," he mumbles again, and no, there are not hot pinpricks at the back of his eyes, because why would he be crying? The answer is he's not, because _real men don't cry, goddammit,_ and all he can hear is his father's voice echoing through his head and the deafening silence of the clearing around him. Then a small hand drops gently onto his shoulder, and an even smaller voice quietly asks

"Why not?"

And he looks up, and he looks at Bruce, a shadow of a bruise still on his face from a particularly bad beating the week before, at Clint, homeless, with the raised scars that will always cover his back, at Tasha, who killed her adoptive father after her real one drunk himself to death, at Steve, still coming to terms with the relief he feels about his father's death, at Loki, trapped in the knowledge that he will never measure up to Thor in his parents' eyes, and at Thor, faced with the sudden knowledge that things are far from well in is household and that his brother is not actually his brother. Then he looks down, and he sees his hands, calloused and scarred from years already spent in the workshop, desperate to earn more than a dismissive grunt or a few harsh words from his mostly absent father. He tries to laugh, but it comes out as bitter bark instead.

"Do you really have to ask?"

Skinny arms wrap around his neck and the redhead crawls into his lap, blinking up at him with her massive eyes and her face which is doing anything _but _smiling at the moment; he wraps his arms around her and holds her close, because right now she is the only thing anchoring him to the earth. Without her he would be lost into the void of space, alone and empty, a shadow of what he could have been, a hollow shell of what a child is meant to be.

"If I could be like anyone then I want to be like you."

"Why? Why would you-"

"Bruce's dad. Clint's dad. Tasha's stepdad. Your parents. Loki's step-parents. Steve's dad. Mr Coulson. Adults always lie. They can't be trusted."

"Pep, we were-"

"Ross. Justin Hammer. Clint's brother. Kids can't be trusted either."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Steve. Tasha. Bruce. Clint. Thor. Loki. Tony. My best friends who I spend all day with, and the most amazing cousin in the world. People who would get beat up for each other. People who would lie for each other. People who would pay for each other because the other can't afford it. Why wouldn't I want to be like you?"

And Tony knows that the wetness on his face must be some sort of strange weather phenomenon, because there is no way he is crying. No way. No sir. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.

So that night, if he waits until Pepper is in the bath to sneak into her room and slip five hundred dollars into the pocket of a jacket that surely won't be used until the winter, well then, it's only because he has it lying around and thinks it'd be fun to try and be a spy like Clintasha. After all- everyone knows that Starks aren't sentimental. And the note- well, it's just a bit of fun; nothing meant by it.

_For massive chocolate consumption by my favourite cousin :)_

_-T_

_P.S. You're still not allowed to swear_

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**__One of the most important things to me in this story, that I really _really _hope that I've been conveying to you lovely readers, is the developing relationship between Tony and Pepper. He started out the summer annoyed and put out that he would have to spend three whole months stuck with her, paying her to hang out with him, and now look where they are! I hope that Pepper didn't come across as OOC, but let's not forget that she is very intelligent, she most certainly is not a doormat, and eleven weeks of living with one prodigy and dating another will certainly improve her vernacular.**

**Also, I hope 'shove off!' is okay- Steve wouldn't say 'F*** off!' but 'piss off!' and 'sod off!' sounded far too British for Captain America.**

**Please let me know what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Another all in weekend means that, once again, the last update for two weeks; I'm so so sorry about that! However, after that it's half term, which means faster updates! I might even get it finished by the end of that week! :'(**

**Thank you, as always, to everyone who has reviewed! They are so special and mean so much to me! I love you all, and I'm sure if the kidvengers were to meet you then they would love you too!**

**This was a suggestion by Flying Jay. I hope you like it :)**

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Tony has a bad feeling the moment they arrive at the lake the next morning.

At first glance, everything seems fine- the pier is intact, the hillock stands proud, the sun is shining warmly down, and Tasha and Clint are relaxing on the grass.

However, the source of his uneasiness is quickly discovered, when Tasha urgently beckons them over. It turns out they are not relaxing at all: Clint is lying in the grass, groaning softly, his skin tinged a pale green. His forehead is beaded with sweat and he is shivering violently as Tasha holds a cold compress to his head.

"He's been like this since last night," she tells them, worry clouding her eyes. "I think there was something in that lake water; he started throwing up around two in the morning, and now... well, look at him! I can't get him to hold down solids, and he feels really hot but I don't have a thermometer, and I can't go nick one because I don't want to leave him, and-" she takes a deep, steadying breath, composing her features and her voice, which had been steadily rising as she spoke. "Do either of you know anything about medicine?"

"I do," announces a little voice. Tony spins around to see Steve and Bruce, who had been sneaking up on them until they saw the state of Clint. It shows just how panicked Tasha really is, if she didn't even notice them. "And by the way, I told you so."

"Now's not the time for sassing, Bruce," mutters Tony, but Tasha looks like she could kiss him.

"The most dangerous thing is his fever," continues the younger boy, ignoring Tony's comment. "Tony, can you and Pepper go to town and get me two ice packs, a thermometer and some ginger snaps? Try and make the ice packs reusable ones, if you can."

"Ginger snaps?" asks Pepper, eyebrows shooting up. Bruce, who is on his knees feeling Clint's forehead, nods distractedly.

"Yeah, we're too young to buy medicine and ginger is good for nausea. Oh, I'll need some bottled water too."

"Come on, Tony," says Pepper tugging his arm urgently, and Tony crushes the urge to say _but we just got here, and it's, like, half a mile, and can't Mr Good Guy Steve do it?_ because he's the one with the gold credit card and he's the one they're relying on right now. The thought terrifies him; he doesn't want to be responsible. He wants to show Bruce his lab, and he wants to beat Tasha at bullshit, and he wants to hear Steve swear. Little things, things that would keep him happy for a day, maybe even a week, nothing grand, nothing extravagant. The small things in life.

But Clint's lying ill, and Bruce has a worried frown rumpling his features, and Tasha looks scared, and so he takes Pepper's hand and walks with her down the lane, hoping that perhaps he'll get one of the little things tomorrow, because it certainly doesn't seem like it will happen today.

They bump into Thorki on their way out of the woods, and explain the situation. Thor immediately bounds ahead, anxiously calling to Loki to _hurry, brother, friend Clint is in dire need_. Loki mutters that he doesn't know what use he and Thor will be, but trails behind anyway, telling Tony and Pepper to hurry back.

"So why do two kids need icepacks and a thermometer?" asks the cashier suspiciously and she scans their items. Tony opens his mouth to tell a smooth lie about mother and a knee joint, and since they're on a medicine run anyway, may as well get a thermometer, but Pepper beats him to it.

"My dolly is sick," she says without missing a beat, blinking her huge eyes up. "She needs to have 'pendix out, like I did last year. Don't tell," she lowers her voice to a conspiratory whisper, "but the ginger snaps are a treat for when it's done. My mummy bought them for me when I had my 'pendix out, because they match my hair. But it's a surprise, so shh!" The cashier smiles warmly.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I won't tell anyone. Tell your dolly I hope she gets better soon, okay?" Pepper beams.

"Okay!" With that, Tony pays, and they leave.

"Do you even know what an appendix is?" he asks her one they're safely out the store. Pepper shrugs.

"I know that, like, half of everyone gets it removed. Didn't need to know more, did I?"

"That was smooth," he admits, and she laughs, bouncing along the pavement. The laugh dies in her throat, however, when a man in a suit rounds the corner. Tony freezes, and the man quirks an eyebrow and comes over.

"Hello, again; I don't know if you two remember me, but I'm Phil Coulson, with social services."

"We remember you," the young prodigy mutters sullenly, Pepper nodding next to him. Mr Coulson smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes and he studies what Pepper's carrying.

"Do you remember what I asked you about?"

"The fugitives." Anything to distract Coulson from their sparse medical supplies. The adult laughs, and it makes the hair on the nape of Tony's hair stand up. Pepper is meeting his gaze and studying him every bit as earnestly as he is studying her, and how she is doing that Tony hasn't the faintest idea, but he wants to be able to do it to.

"They're not fugitives; they're simply lost children who we're trying to bring home. Now, what would two children need with ice packs and a thermometer?"

"I think they are fugitives. I think they're spies, and I think that the boy used to work for you, and you sent him to kill the girl, but he fell in love with her, and that's why you want them both." Coulson gives him what Tony supposes is meant to be an endearing smile.

"They're simply lost children who we're trying to bring home. You know, I've heard that ginger is very good for curing nausea. Did you know that?"

"Phil-" begins Pepper, but Tony gives her a hard nudge.

"He's not Phil, he's agent! Agent Coulson, okay?" he grits out.

"Phil-" Pepper says again, completely ignoring her cousin, "I know your secret government work is very important, but my dolly is sick, so we need to-" she trails off when the man holds up a single hand.

"Hiding them is one thing; but if they're sick, then you need to let us help them. You're not doctors, you're children, and this is a serious adult matter. I'm going to ask you again- where are they?"

"I wasn't aware that child services cared for sick dolls," says Tony coolly. Pepper frowns at the adult.

"I am too a doctor! I have a certificate from the bear factory that says so! If my dolly dies because you held us up, I'll sue you! Do you understand?" Coulson stares at them for a long moment, blue eyes like anti-freeze, chilling Tony's blood. Then he stands up and steps to the side, allowing them to pass; Tony can feel the man's gaze boring into the back of his neck all the way down the road.

"Come on, Pep," he mutters, grabbing her hand. "Let's get these to Clint."

They trot back up to the clearing, aware of the time lost while talking to the shady government official who doesn't even own a badge, but apparently it's not fast enough.

"What took you so long?!" Tasha all but shrieks when they arrive. Pepper hands the stuff over to Bruce and gets to work helping him with whatever he was doing. Tony takes the opportunity to explain what happened, more than a little perturbed by Tasha's actions- he's never seen the normally calm girl so worried before, and for the first time he wonders if he did the right thing, lying to Coulson.

"They can take me to hospital when I'm dead!" calls Clint from where he's lying, only to be shushed by both Bruce and Pepper simultaneously. They are busy erecting some sort of downsized Native American tent out of blankets left over from the disastrous camping trip, long branches, and magic, because Tony knows physics and that thing should not be staying up. Survival Steve flounders, unused to their witchcraft, and eventually backs away under the hard stares of Potted Banner when he accidentally knocks it over the second time.

"I do not like the sound of this son of Coul," announces Thor as Steve sheepishly trails over. "He is too willing to pry into matters he shouldn't! In Asgard, we leave the orphans free to roam the streets how they please!" Loki rolls his eyes and Tony thinks he may be the only one to hear the quietly muttered

"That's not generally seen as a good thing, Thor."

"In fact," the older boy continues, completely oblivious to his brother's comment, "they make the orphanages as unappealing as possible, to encourage the orphans to return to the streets from hence they came instead."

"Yeah, the orphanages here do that too," snarks Tasha.

"Technically," Bruce wanders over, rubbing anti-bacterial gel over his hands, "there are no orphanages in America- at least, according to the government. What we do have is juvenile institutes or homes for troubled children."

"Where did you get anti-bacterial gel?" asks Tony, disregarding what the younger boy said in favour of sating his curiosity. Bruce simply widens his eyes at him significantly before turning back to the others.

"His temperature's down a bit, and I've put him in the shade. Make sure he drinks lots of water, _make sure it's all bottled water,_ and check his temperature every half hour. A normal temperature is about 36-37 degrees Celsius; he's at 38 at the moment, but he's better than he was."

"Speak English!" Clint calls from his new tent. "No one knows what Celsius is!"

"I do," call back Tony, Loki and, rather surprisingly, Thor. The older prince catches the confused stares levelled at him and shrugs.

"We use metric in Asgard," he says simply. They nod in understanding and turn back to the rather more pressing issue.

"How do you know all this stuff?" demands Steve, still staring in awe and confusion at the gravity defying structure. It is Bruce's turn to shrug.

"I like medical journals. This is like being a doctor in a third world country, only, well, it's America and he's just got a bug, not dysentery or something like that." Tasha drops to her knees and wraps him in a hug.

"Thank you," Tony hears her whisper. Steve's gaze drops to his feet, probably not wanting to intrude upon the touching moment or something stupid like that, while Loki and Thor turn positively green with envy.

By the end of the day, Clint's temperature is back to normal, and though he is still feeling weak, Bruce gives him a clean bill of health. Tasha hugs him again, and Pepper gives him a kiss before darting away to hide behind Steve, who chuckles in that grandfatherly way of his. Tony mentions in an undertone that, if he ever needs the money for medical school, the Starks have an awful lot of spare cash lying around, and Bruce nods gratefully.

They emerge from the woods as a cheerful, chattering group, Clintasha safely in the hillock. As they approach the town they prepare to part ways, but a tug on his arm from Pepper stops him dead. Coulson is leaning against a car on the road that they're on, watching them closely. When he sees he's been noticed he pushes himself up and walks towards them.

"You're really creepy," announces Tony before the adult even has a chance to speak. "Seriously, are you following us or something? I should call the police."

"You seem awfully fond of the outdoors," remarks the man mildly, eyeing the direction they just came from. "I can't say I see the appeal myself- care to explain? I thought your dolly was sick."

"She's in intensive care because of you," growls Pepper, and the angry, annoyed expression she's wearing looks out of place on her delicate face. "I'm going to write a letter to your boss!"

"Yes, I'm sure Fury will be thrilled. So, why the woods? Awfully dangerous, aren't they? Bears, wolves, getting lost and starving; why go?"

"I'll admit it," announces Loki, stepping forward and shooting them a panicked look over his shoulder. "I'm sorry friends, but I can't hide it anymore. The guilt of this secret is weighing down on me, and I just can't continue to put people at risk." Tony feels his heart miss a beat- surely Loki wouldn't? Why? Why would he do this? The princeling draws in a deep breath, his expression pure remorse, and he flings a dramatic hand out. "We're all fishing addicts! There, I said it! That's why we have the fishing rods, the picnic baskets and the bait bucket, and that's why we've been in the woods. I'm so sorry, Mr Coulson; you can arrest us now if you'd like." The man doesn't even blink.

"You're all comedians, aren't you?" he asks. "I will find out what you're hiding. This is very important; but please, try to remember- we are the good guys." And he turns, climbs into his car and leaves. They watch him drive off in stunned silence.

"You're right," says Bruce finally. "He's definitely a spy."


	20. Chapter 20

**What time is it? HALF TERM! And with it a super-long, angsty, possibly OOC (sorry about that if it is), emotion filled chapter! Two left after this, but don't worry children! No need to cry! Because I- being the wonderful person that I am- have decided to not only do a Clintasha companion piece, but a companion piece for all the kidvengers! HOORAY!**

**These will be oneshots, and will probably be posted sporadically, though I am hoping to get them all done before Christmas. There will be four of them- The Cousins, The Brothers, The Runaways and The Damned. No prizes for guessing who each one is about!**

**So, before I ramble on any more: have your madly long chapter!**

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Tony and Pepper are sat in her room. He is telling her about the cities he's seen, the foreign countries he's visited and the people he's met. Her eyes grow wide at tales of strange languages and funny food which burns your tongue until there are tears in your eyes, donkeys in the street and locals that don't care if his father's suit is Armani, all they care about is whether or not a penny is pushed into their dirty hands.

And Pepper, who has been to a small city nearby twice, once for a party and once on a school trip to a museum, wants to know more, more, more. Why were you over there? How many floors did the hotel have? Were you right at the top? Did you make any friends over there? Why not? What does it matter if they had dirty feet, Clint has dirty feet and you're still friends with him.

And Tony feebly tries to explain Howard Stark's mindset, and his abhorrence of anything that isn't opulent, isn't sumptuous and isn't clearly American. Tries to explain that the closest his father has ever come to slumming it was when he did a job for the military and had to work in one of their labs. Tries to explain that, what Howard wants, he gets, so if Tony is stuck in the penthouse with nothing but German TV, well then, that's too bad.

Pepper suggests that maybe they should go to Asgard, that maybe Howard should broker some sort of deal with King Odin, because then he'll be able to see Thorki. But then she pauses, and her face crumples slightly, and he hugs her because he knows why, and he thinks that maybe his face is crumpling too.

Hanging on the back of her door is a calendar, each day carefully crossed off. She wriggles out of his arms and crosses off Friday, before bursting into tears, because Thorki are leaving tomorrow night, and then Tony goes Sunday lunchtime, and ringed in thick red pen is Monday, the words 'back to school' written in shaky handwriting that somehow manages to look depressed, and Tony didn't even realise that handwriting could look depressed. He grabs her by the waist and drags her back to the bed, stroking her hair and reminding her that, hey, she'll still have Bruce and Steve and Clintasha.

"But I won't have you," she hiccups, "and you're the best cousin in the whole wide world and you're my best friend and you'll be gone."

"No I won't," he tells her, before pausing; "Okay, yes, I will, but that's why we have the US postal service. I can write to you. Every week. Every day if you want. A hundred, no, a thousand, no, a hundred thousand letters, enough to break your house!" And she stops crying and starts to giggle. He waves his arms around, getting into it, wanting nothing more in that moment than for her to keep smiling. "Picture it! Letters in the chimney! Letters in your bed! On the floor! You'd turn on the shower and more letters will come out! There'll be no trees left because I'll use them all for paper to write letters!" And she's squealing, flat on her back as he pokes at her stomach and her ribs, laughing so hard that when she rolls off the bed and lands on the floor with a _thud _there is only a slight pause before the giggles continue.

The next day in the clearing, Thorki are the last to arrive. When they do it is bearing melancholy smiles and two brightly wrapped boxes. Thor's is red with silver ribbon while Loki's is gold with green ribbon, and are those...?

"Nice box, reindeer games," smirks Tony. Loki just huffs a sigh and rolls his eyes.

"It was the only wrapping paper to be found that wasn't such a tacky shade of... scarlet," he drawls, eyeing Thor's box distastefully. Steve snorts.

"Because there's nothing tacky about gold, is there?"

The picnic, being their last one as a group, is massive, even bigger than normal, and- not for the first time- Tony wonders what his aunt thinks of how much they eat. She doesn't know about their friends, any of them. It started with not mentioning Clintasha, and since then it's just always seemed... prudent, to avoid mentioning the gaggle of misfits they hang out with. There are two peanut butter sandwiches each- including Pepper's special one she makes for Bruce- along with two candy bars, two bottles of pop, a bag of crisps and a packet of sweeties. Somehow- and Tony can't possibly think how- Tasha ends up with four candy bars, four bottles of pop, three packets of crisps and three packets of sweets, while Thor and Loki are looking remarkably empty-handed.

Steve has brought in his dad's old camera, and they set it up on a precarious 'tripod' consisting of a few twigs, some balanced stones and half a foot of string. Steve sets the timer for ten seconds and then they all squeeze into the photo, big goofy grins on their faces, trying to pretend they haven't realised why this photo is being taken now, trying to pretend it doesn't hurt. Pepper and Bruce are holding hands, Thor has both arms raised into the air jubilantly, Clint is giving Steve bunny ears while Loki tries to edge as close as he can to Tasha, and Tony is on the edge with a laugh on his lips, watching his friends with a heart fit to burst.

They play a final few rounds of bullshit, with Pepper very nearly as good as Tasha and Loki now, a thought that Tony finds more than a little concerning. Thor ruefully tells them that he has never won a game, not once this entire summer, and though this isn't really a great shocker- Thor isn't exactly renowned for his subtlety- Tony is surprised that he has been willing to play game after game, just to lose every one. Not many people would do that, and out of all of them, Thor seems the most likely to get frustrated and give up. Tony finds himself with new respect for the princeling.

After the cards are packed away, the presents are brought out, Thor beaming widely and Loki smirking a little smile that makes Tony worry for his safety.

"From my time spent here!" the elder brother booms, "I have learnt many things about America! Your parents are awful, your bullies cowardly, and your people not as fat as the television would have us believe, though the food is often disgusting! However, despite this, I have much enjoyed myself, and I know Loki has too! So, as a gift of gratitude to my friends who have been so wonderful, I present you with a gift all Americans are sure to love!"

"Which is?" asks Bruce, eyebrow quirking up. Thor hands them the red box, and they tear away the wrapping to find it filled with... paddleballs.

"You know, I've never had one of these before," comments Tony as the clearing fills with preteens desperately swinging their arms around.

"Really?" Clint is lying atop a branch, effortlessly thwacking the ball without even looking at it, eyes shut dreamily. "They were, like, the currency at the orphanage. Paddleballs, actual money and cigarettes. They could get you anything you wanted, if you had enough of them."

"So could a knuckle sandwich," mutters Tasha through gritted teeth, missing the ball with every swing, "and I had plenty of those to give out."

Pepper is bouncing it downwards instead of up in the hope that that will make it easier, while Bruce has gone for the sideways approach. Tony isn't too bad, managing to get runs of two or three before he misses it again. Thor is waving his arms madly, and has already hit himself in the face with the ball several times. Loki isn't helping this, having decided it is his life's ambition to hit Thor's ear with the red rubber ball. Clint has switched to using his wrong hand and is still managing to get it every time. Tasha throws hers down with a frustrated shout, before picking it up and trying again. It is definitely a lot harder than TV makes it seem, and for a while they are kept busy.

"I am bored," announces Loki after maybe half an hour. "Allow me to give you my present. I have no speech to give you, unfortunately not being nearly as... eloquent as Thor," Thor beams, the sarcasm going straight over his head. "I do, however, wish to thank you, for... I suppose for being you. So here," the smirk is back and they take the box with apprehension. "I stole it some months back from my father's liquor cabinet."

Inside the box are six small bottles of a honey-coloured liquid, strange writing printed on the side. They each take one apprehensively, and Thor grins.

"It is a worthy gift! Asgard's finest mead can make any party enjoyable!"

Steve is staring at his with a large frown, and Bruce is hardly touching the bottle, looking close to tears. Clint and Tasha have both laid theirs down on the grass, Pepper is eyeing hers as though it might bite, and Tony feels his stomach churn at the thought of its contents. Alcohol. The root cause of most of their problems. How could Loki have forgotten that?

But then Tony looks at Loki, really looks at him; ignores the pleasant smile and the beaming brother next to him, but look into his eyes, and sees a coldness there, a calculation that scares him. The others go back to playing bullshit, but he pulls Loki aside for a talk.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hisses, and Loki blinks, trying to look innocent.

"I am trying to play bullshit, friend Stark, but you are making it very difficult for me."

"Oh no, don't you even try that. Tell me straight, or I might have to deck you: what do you think you're doing?" The smile slides from Loki's face, and he glares back, brown eyes clashing against startling blue.

"Do not delude yourself, Stark; even if you could hurt me, you wouldn't dare- Thor would destroy you," the princeling spits. "As for what I'm doing, I'm giving my supposed 'friends' a little leaving gift to remember me by."

"It's a horrible gift, and you know it; and what do you mean, 'supposed friends?'

"You don't think I truly care for any of you, do you? That I enjoy being with you? You are puppets, and I am the marionette, pulling the strings and watching the reactions. I did want to give you my thanks, however- without you freaks I would have had a most dull summer, alone with Thor. Just remember this:" his voice lowers to a whisper. "You. You and all the others here, your stupid little cousin especially. You. Are. Nothing. To me." Tony takes a step back, cold horror rushing through him. It was a lie. All this time, all their jokes, all their fun, it was a lie. Loki takes in his expression and smirks. "Predictable little puppet." With that, he turns on his heel and walks back to the others.

"You okay, Tony?" calls Clint, who is currently holding half the deck and trying to work out how many eights he has.

"Um, yeah," manages the young prodigy. Loki is still smirking. "I'll, uh, be back in a second." He practically runs from the clearing, tears pricking the back of his eyes. His blood feels frozen in his veins, and he shivers despite the warm sun.

Betrayed.

He has been completely and utterly betrayed.

He bites his lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. Dropping to his knees, he wraps his arms around himself, as though doing so will stop his heart from shattering. Loki was lying to them this whole time. One of his closest friends from this summer, and it had all been a farce.

"Tony?" It's Clint, eyes widening at the sight of his friend. "Tony, what's wrong?"

Tony doesn't want to say, doesn't want to admit how badly duped he was, but Clint has been fooled too, and Clint has a right to know. So he tells him everything, from the look in Loki's eyes to how he likened them to puppets. Clint sits and listens, and sometimes pats Tony's shoulder awkwardly, and sometimes hums in an understanding tone. When Tony is done, they both pretend not to notice the tears on his cheeks, and the young runaway rocks back on his heels.

"Manipulative bastard."

"Yeah."

"He's fucking with our emotions."

"I know."

"You do realise he's scared shitless?" The young prodigy pauses, staring at his friend in confusion.

"What?"

"He's scared shitless. Like, he doesn't have friends in Asgard. Thor told me. And now he has friends here, but he's leaving them, and he doesn't want to. He's scared, though, that we like Thor more than him. Or that he'll get in touch and we'll reject him, say that we don't need him, that we don't want him, that we have other friends, that we have Thor instead. So he gives us gifts purposely designed to make us uncomfortable, and waits for the confrontation that will in.. inevit... definitely happen. He tells you what he told you, takes away our chance to reject him by rejecting us instead. Leaves with Thor this evening, and knows that he can never get back in touch because you'll have told us what happened. There's no risk for him. No risk of rejection, no chance of him being hurt, and no way we can forget him. We'll remember him for what he did to us, and we'll hate him, but he'll have got the best of us. And as long as he has that, then he's safe." Tony frowns, because it's strange but it almost makes sense. Sort of, in a twisted way. It's also probably the most he's ever heard the young runaway say in one go, and he wants to know more.

"How do you know all this?" he demands, and Clint shrugs, leaning back.

"I've seen a lot of fear. Kids at the orphanage, they got good at hiding it, but there are things you can pick up on no matter what. Most people, they don't fear what's there. They fear what they fear is there."

"You've lost me."

"Like, look at us; as a group I mean. You know what people should be afraid of, know the basics of what they are afraid of. Bruce should be and is afraid of Ross and his dad, Tasha and I should be and are afraid of what happens if Coulson finds us, Steve should be and is afraid of what happens now that his dad is dead. But they aren't their biggest fears. You can have your worst dreams come true, you can be beaten and bloody and bruised, but it's not nearly as bad as what people can do to you without laying a finger on your body."

"Can you give me an example?" asks Tony, still not sure that he fully understands what Clint is getting at.

"Bruce is afraid that nothing will change. That with Thor gone, Ross will be right back at it. That his dad will stay the same, and that his mum will keep being helpless. That's his worst nightmare. That's he's stuck in a rut, that this is it, this is his life right here." Tony nods, because he can see it, can understand it, but would never have noticed it if Clint hadn't pointed it out.

"Pepper," the runaway continues, "is the opposite. She's afraid that things will change. That with you gone and Thorki gone, and school starting again everything will be different. She's afraid that we'll drift apart, that Bruce will stop liking her, that me and Tasha will be taken away, that Steve will ignore her because he's a big kid and she's not, and that this summer will be nothing more than a memory."

"What about Thorki?"

"Thor and Loki are both afraid of rejection. Loki has been second best all his life- the second son, the adopted son, never as good as Thor. He makes it so that people can't reject him- he pushes them away, rejects them pre... pre-emp... before they can reject him. Thor is afraid because he's never been rejected- everything's been handed to him on a silver platter, but he's not thick. He's seen how people treat Loki, and he's scared that if he does one thing wrong the same will happen to him. He tries his best to please everyone, to draw them close so that they don't want to reject him."

"So they're sort of opposites too?"

"They're the same, but they handle it in opposites, yeah."

"What about Steve and Tasha?"

"Steve is afraid of being a disappointment. Of people looking at him, and him not being good enough. He knows what they said about his father, and he doesn't want it to happen to him. So he goes to church and he's patriotic, he stands up for little boys being hurt and he follows the rules and the reason he has no character, the reason he's so _boring, _is because he's so busy trying to be what everyone else wants that he forgets to be himself. We tease him for it, and he needs that, because it helps remind him that he doesn't have to be perfect, that in our eyes it's the worst thing he could be."

"Tasha is afraid that she's like them. That by dropping that match, she pulled herself down to his level, and that there's no way to make up for it. That, no matter what she does, she'll always have red on her ledger. She's scared she did the wrong thing, and no matter what she does in the future, she's no better than he was. She's worried she'll become a monster."

"How long have you been watching all us?"

"You're not the only one people tell stuff to, Tony. And I pick up on things, more than Tasha. She's good at watching reactions, predicting what they'll do next. I can tell a person's motives."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself," smiles Tony, bumping the young runaway's shoulder with his fist, but the smile isn't returned.

"You're afraid of being alone."

"Don't, Clint."

"You're afraid that you're going to go back home, and your dad's going to lock you away with your circuit boards and your gadgets."

"Clint, stop."

"No more card games or swimming with friends. No Pepper, to surprise you with some of the things she says and to smile when you get things right. Isolation. Locked in a house with a father who can't be bothered to give you the time of day, a mother too weak willed to stand up to him and show you some love- a mother that maybe doesn't love you at all- and a boatload of servants who call you 'Master Stark.'

"Shut up!" snaps the young prodigy, pushing himself to his feet. "You think you're so fucking clever! Poking at everyone's fears, explaining them, making yourself out to be some sort of... of guru or something! If you're so smart, what are you afraid of, huh?" He turned and slipped his fist into a tree, ignoring the pain of his knuckles splitting. "Answer me!"

For a moment, there is silence. Tony's eyes are scrunched closed and he is breathing heavily, anger coursing through him. He doesn't know how close they are to the clearing, doesn't care if the others heard him. Clint had no right. No right.

"I'm scared of being forgotten," says a small voice, and he pauses. "That you'll all move on and I'll be left behind. Not alone. There are always people around. But forgotten. A person you knew once, whose name you can't think of but whose face you can sort of remember. A person who had no impact on your life. Barney's got a job now- he doesn't need me anymore. Tasha's already left me once; got herself adopted, didn't she? I don't know where my parents are; haven't heard a word of them since I got taken away. You leave tomorrow, Thorki leave tonight, Pepper, Bruce and Steve are starting school again and won't have time for us. Tasha- well, look at her. She'll always be adopted again. So I'll just be left here, like a broken toy on the side of the road. Who needs a broken orphan?"

"I won't," muttered Tony, his face scrunched up in pain both emotional and physical.

"What?"

"I won't forget you. I could never forget you, none of us could, and you're mad if you think otherwise." There is a pause.

"I'll write to you."

"What?"

"You won't be able to write back, but I'll sneak into town and send you letters. Pepper can give me the address."

"Thanks, Clint." There is silence for a moment, both of them thinking about what has been said.

"You should probably get that bandaged. It looks sore." Tony glances down at his knuckles, which are trickling blood. Now that he thinks about it, the pain is excruciating.

"Yeah, you're right."

When they get back to the clearing, the others all look at him in concern, with the exception of Loki, who smirks. Clint tells them that Tony fell and hit his hand against a tree, and though no one buys it, no one says anything either. Pepper and Tasha patch it up, and they go back to bullshit, all horribly aware of the time.

Five o'clock arrives and it's time for them to go, Thor and Loki forever. Pepper and Bruce are both in tears, while the rest of them are blinking fiercely, trying to keep themselves together. Last hugs are swapped, promises of letters are made, and final joking insults are laughed at. Tony gets the last hug, and when he hugs Loki he pulls him tight.

"Goodbye, friend Loki. Don't be a stranger."

When he pulls away, Loki looks hurt and confused. Tony grins, his favourite shit-eating grin that gets Steve so riled up.

"You really think you're going to get rid of me that easy? For a fellow prodigy, you're pretty dumb."

"Do I have to spell it out to you?"

"Don't even bother; I'm your friend, Loki, and some cheap little lies don't change anything." Loki opens his mouth to reply, pauses, shuts it again, and smiles shyly.

"I'll keep that in mind, friend Tony. Goodbye." Thor grabs them up in an enormous hug, somehow wrapping his arms around all seven of them. This is probably aided by the fact that he is slowly crushing the life out of them.

"Um, Thor... can't breathe," Clint chokes out, turning slightly blue. The princeling lets go, only to burst into loud, noisy sobs.

"I shall miss you all so! The adventures we have had! I cannot wait to tell Lady Sif and the warriors three about our times together!" Behind him, Loki makes gagging noises and mimes sticking a finger down his throat. From the little they've gleaned, Thor's friends are definitely not his friends.

Then Pepper starts to cry all over again, and they have another round of hugs. Clint seems to decide this is just too much sentimentality in one clearing, and instead gives the brothers a punch to the arm each, an idea Tony shamelessly copies. Tasha gives each of them a kiss, not just on the cheek but right on the lips, and the brothers look like they'll explode from pent up excitement.

Pepper is crying the whole way home, and Tony does what he can to comfort her, which isn't very much. His own impending departure is weighing on his stomach like lead, and Pepper's tears feel like little drops of acid, burning into his soul.

That night, they slip out the house and make the ten minute walk to the footbridge leading over the road out of town. They don't have to wait very long before a sleek black car appears. Pepper scrambles onto his shoulders, and they both wave wildly. At first, the young prodigy is worried that they weren't noticed; however, one of the tinted windows rolls down and two hands appear, one broad and tanned, the other far paler and much narrower. They wave back, and a voice calls out

"Go to bed, Stark!" The car continues down its path, and within a minute it is gone, taking Loki and Thor with it. It is the last time any of them will see the princes for a very long time.


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm not going to do a long AN, I'd just like to say thank you for all of those who have read this and stuck through this and reviewed with your thoughts. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'm going to post the prompt again; if you can spare a moment I'd appreciate knowing if you think I managed to do it justice. Happy reading!**

_"They're all children - between 8 and 12, maybe. They live out in the country, and while backgrounds would obviously have to be tweaked, they still have incredibly fucked up backstories. This would take place over a summer break._

_Think fishing on the lake and climbing trees and sneaking Bruce in through a window because his dad's violent-drunk tonight, and putting ice on Clint's swollen lip, and Pepper always pressing food into hands, and Natasha fierce and cold and lonely, and the way they bend and give for each other, like kids are so often so eager to do._

_Angstyness with dollops of sweet and a happy or hopeful ending?"_

* * *

Tony ignores Loki's order, and spends the rest of the night sitting up, talking and mucking around with Pepper. He can sleep on the eight hour car trip back to the city- for now, he wants to spend as much of his last time as possible with his little cousin.

He counts the days on the calendar between now and the day that he arrived, and makes good on his promise, giving her five dollars for every day, despite her protests that he doesn't have to do that. Coupled with the money slipped into her coat pocket, Pepper has a sizeable fortune to keep her fully stocked with sweets.

She in turn gives him a sheath of pictures that she's drawn over the course of the summer: Loki looking angry, a clump of pondweed on his head. Clint, dangling upside down from a tree. Her and Tasha pinning Tony down as they paint his nails. Bruce, in the shirt she gave him for his birthday. Thor and Steve sitting back to back, drinking pop. They are bright, contrasting colours, a curious blend of crayon and pencil, and they are perfect. Tony slips them in between the pages of his book he read at the start of the summer, the book about the boys who grew up on the street in Russia; it's the book he read to Bruce the night that he came over, and he has read it to Pepper three times since. He loves and hates it in equal measures.

When morning comes, they are barely keeping their eyes open, but a quick raid of the fridge yields three energy drinks that they quickly gulp down. At half eight, there's a knock at the door. Stood there is Clintasha and Star Spangled Banner, smiling a little too brightly. Tony grabs his wallet and Pepper grabs her shoes and they leave a note for Pepper's still-asleep parents and head out the house.

It is Sunday, and everyone in this backwater town is either still asleep or in church. Steve is skipping it for this, says he'll go to evening mass instead, and though Tony rolls his eyes and mutters to himself about _religious zealots_, he still appreciates the gesture.

It takes them a little over ten minutes to reach the diner, with a neon sign proudly declaring _The best breakfast in the state _mounted in the window. The waitress is hesitant at first, noticing the distinct lack of adult, but a flash of Tony's credit cards allays any fears and they are soon seated in a booth.

Clint has a burger, which apparently is a 'breakfast burger' simply because it has bacon and eggs on it. Tasha has something called eggs Benedict which looks dodgy as hell, with some weird yellow sauce poured on two... boiled eggs? He doesn't even know. Pepper and Bruce share a waffle, with about five cows' worth of whipped cream on top, as well as sprinkles, smarties, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and golden syrup- they get it without the strawberry sauce because of Pepper's allergies. Tony doesn't think he's ever seen his cousin look more excited about anything than when she catches sight of the breakfast confection bearing down on them, and don't think that he hasn't noticed them holding hands underneath the table. Steve gets a bowl of porridge with honey and sunflower seeds, because he's a stick in the mud. Tony gets blueberry pancakes. He thinks that, if Thor and Loki were here, Loki would get the English breakfast and Thor would get an omelette with everything and declare it to be _magnificent._ He doesn't tell the others this- doesn't want to make them sad. They all get chocolate milkshakes to go with it, and Tony doesn't know about Pepper, but with that on top of the energy drinks he thinks he may be _buzzing_.

Clint, who has been gulping his food, finishes before everyone and now starts to fidget. It starts with tapping his toe, then his entire foot, wriggling his hips and kicking the ground with his heels.

"Will you quit it?!" hisses Natasha, who is sitting next to him, after he elbows her for the fourth time. He pauses for a moment, before sighing and slumping forward.

"But I'm boooorrrrreeeeeddddd. You guys are still eating and I have nothing to do!"

"Well, find a way to entertain yourself!" He scowls at her, before looking around the table, eyes alighting on the sharp knife he was using to cut his meat. Lower jaw jutting out, he sends Tasha a final, perturbed glare before grabbing the knife and spreading his fingers.

"What are you doing?" asks Bruce, who has cream on his nose.

"There is an old tradition/ A game we all can play/ You start by getting liquored up and sharpening your blade," Clint begins to sing. Tasha freezes before turning to glare at him with a look that could curdle milk.

"Don't you dare!"

"You take a shot of whiskey/You grab your knife and pray/ And spread apart your fingers/ And this is what you say." He is holding the knife handle tightly in his fist, like some sort of crude cave man tool. The point is facing down, and he rhythmically begins to stab at the table, singing all the while. "Oh, I have all my fingers," stab, stab, stab, "the knife goes chop chop chop," stab, stab, stab, "If I miss the spaces in between my fingers will come off!"

Three minutes later they're on the pavement, an irate waitress slamming the door behind them.

"Way to go, Clint," snaps Tasha. "Now what?"

"We can come to my house?" suggests Pepper

So they turn around and begin the walk home. However, they don't even make it to the end of the road before they are stopped short.

"Hey, Brucie," smirks Ross, and suddenly they're surrounded by teenagers, teenagers who are all fifteen and sixteen, and it's a fucking mess, thinks Tony, a fucking mess because they don't have a chance. Bruce is slammed up against a wall and Steve is roughly pushed to the floor. Clint and Tony both have their arms twisted behind their backs and Tasha manages to land a mean right hook before she is floored by a cheap shot from behind, kept down by a knee digging into her back.

"Aren't you meant to be in church?" gasps Steve before the teenager who threw him down kicks him the stomach. The bully grins.

"We just were, but mass finished early so we thought we'd come find you. Heard the princes left last night, and, well, I could use a little fun."

"Told ya he would get you," says a voice, and it's Justin Hammer, smug little bastard smirking at the sight of them all incapacitated. "I told you, didn't I; you all thought you were so strong, but I told-"

"Piss off, twerp," snaps Ross, and Justin scurries to hide at the back of the group, smirk still firmly fixed on his slimy little face. "Now, as for you Brucie." He begins to pull the younger boy's arm upwards, eliciting cries and whimpers from the small boy. "Where's your saviour, hey? Where's 'the mighty Thor' all ready to protect you. You've got no one." Bruce's face is white in pain, the arm bent unnaturally, and the grin on Ross' face is manic. "No one can help you, you little shi-"

"Put him down!" cries Pepper, pushing past the older boys that had previously been obstructing her. Ross pauses in surprise before cracking up.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Is this it? Your heroic rescue party? Bruce, this is low, even for you! Saved by a little girl! What's your name, girly?"

"My name is Pepper," she says, voice quivering in anger "And I said put. Him. Down." Ross raises an eyebrow, his goons sniggering.

"Or what? You gonna throw dolls at me or something?"

And Tony remembers Thor showing Pepper how to make a fist, how to roll when you land to lessen the impact, her look of intense concentration as he explains to her where to aim on the body. He thinks that maybe he knows why she was so determined to learn to fight.

Pepper draws back her arm...

...and punches Ross in the nuts.

With a yelp of pain the older boy tumbles to the ground, hands cupping his crotch. Tasha makes use of her captors distraction to roll him over, keeping him down with a foot pressed to his throat. Clint flips the boy holding him over his head and onto the ground, while Tony takes advantage of his assailant's loosened grip to jab back sharply, catching them in the gut with his elbow. Steve grabs the boy who'd kicked him by the knees and topples him over before mimicking Tasha and putting a foot to his throat.

"You're wrong, Ross," says the blond, dusting himself off. "Bruce has us." Pepper, in possibly the most unladylike action Tony has ever seen, ever, in his life, spits on Ross' face before wheeling round and punching Hammer, who'd been sneaking up behind her.

"If you ever come near my boyfriend again I will burn your house down," she half shrieks, and he backs away, clutching his jaw and glaring. "I will soak it in gasoline, and I will drop the match! You hear me?"

"Cool it, tiger," says Tony, gently leading her away.

"I will burn everything! YOUR COMIC BOOK COLLECTION IS TOAST!" She calls over her shoulder, before sighing and turning to face forward. The others follow them, more than a little overawed. Everyone is silent until they reach Pepper's house, where Clint pauses and looks at all of them.

"Well, one thing is clear to me," he says. "You can mess with gingers and you can mess with girls, but mess with a ginger girl and they will rip your heart out."

"Amen," mutters Tony, and they head in.

They spend the rest of the morning steadily depleting the fridge, giving Pepper's parents the squint eye whenever they try to enter the kitchen and generally messing around. Clint teaches them the song he was singing earlier, except they use spoons instead of knives, something Tony is eternally grateful for- despite his highly developed brain, hand-eye coordination has never been a strength of his. Tasha, unsurprisingly, is also a master; apparently this is what passed for fun at the orphanage.

Time passes in that strange way it has when a highly anticipated event- though not necessarily anticipated in a good way- is approaching. Tony is hyper aware of every second ticking by, and the sluggishness of those ticks is both a blessing and a curse. The minutes drag by in clump of two or three- and then suddenly fifteen of them, poof, gone. Eleven o'clock passes, twelve o'clock passes. He is fidgeting now, palms sweaty and shirt collar too tight. In the blink of an eye it is one o'clock, and there is a sleek black car on the road outside, hooting for him.

Steve offers to carry his stuff out for him, and when he protests that he can do it himself, he's not a girl, Tasha grabs the stuff, hoists it over her shoulder and takes it to the car, 'accidentally' hitting him on the head with it as she does so. Clint snickers while Steve rolls his eyes, and Pepper is squeezing the life out of his hand, huge eyes swimming with tears. He kneels down in front of her.

"You'll not be able to fit into your room with all the letters I'll send you," he whispers, and she flings her arms around his neck and starts to cry. This sets Bruce off, and he ends up hugging the both of them.

"Well, drive safe," says Clint when he manages to pry himself away, punching his arm far harder than is necessary.

"Try not to get into too much trouble," says the resident goody two shoes, and Tony mimics his eye roll from earlier.

"Buy a big-city cappuccino for me, mkay?" says Tasha, and he nods. He doesn't trust himself to speak, so he with a shaky smile he gives Pepper's hand a final squeeze and climbs into the car.

"Goodbye," he chokes out. Then the door is shut and the car is moving. They are standing on the pavement, waving to him, but the windows are tinted and they cannot wave back. He fiddles with the window switch.

"Jarvis, the window is stuck; can you- hey, you're not Jarvis!" The man in the front of the car has skin like week-old sourdough and an ugly sneer twisting his mouth. "Hey! Let me out!"

"Cool it, kid, I'm not kidnapping you. Jarvis is dead." Tony freezes, stomach knotting up.

"What?"

"You heard me; he had a heart attack last month. I'm gonna be looking after you from now on, and let me tell you, you'd better behave, 'cause I hate kids. Hate 'em."

"Then why on earth would you take the job?" Tony is in shock, numb to the loss of Jarvis.

"Because it pays well and your daddy doesn't care about you. Doesn't care if you like me or not. One thing he does care about- those brats back there; you're not allowed to talk to them. Said so himself, and I quote- 'No son of mine is going to be affiliated with that scum. Tell Tony no letters, no telephone calls, nothing.' Got it?"

_Jarvis is dead. I've just been cut off from my only friends in the world, and I'll spend the rest of my developing life being 'cared for' by this asshole! What more is there to get?_ he thinks to himself.

"Yeah, I got it."

The young prodigy looks over his shoulder one last time. They pass under the overpass he and Pepper stood on the night before, and head away from the town. He fancies that he can see Pepper's chimney over on the left, where the suburbs are. He wonders if they are all still on the pavement, or if they have gone back inside. Perhaps they have gone down to the clearing, Pepper clutching the rods and bait bucket for one last afternoon of fake swimming. Perhaps they're still stood there. He hopes that Pepper has stopped crying.

They reach the interstate and a truck pulls up behind them, blocking his view. He turns around and glumly slides down in his seat, eyes drooping closed. It has been nearly thirty hours since he last slept, and he is exhausted.

"By the way," says the man just before Tony succumbs to sleep. "The terrorists have retracted their threat, so you're safe. It's all in the news about how you're coming home today. Lucky you, hey?"

__And Tony wishes the terrorists hadn't retracted their threat, wishes that they had increased the risk, because, despite what the press thinks, he isn't coming home. As far as he's concerned, he just left home behind.


	22. Chapter 22

**And here we are. The end. Weird to think it's only been three months, right? And I know what you must be thinking- _how can there possibly be another chapter? _Well, I wanted to wrap everything up, and a couple of people requested it. I'm not exactly overjoyed with how it turned out, but I wanted something to finish it off. At the end I'll explain how the companion pieces will tie in. Until then, happy reading.**

* * *

He's beginning to think that this was an awful idea.

His gut is churning, his palms are sweaty, and are those palpitations? Oh god, he's probably going to have a heart attack before he ever arrives. Well, won't that just be fantastic? Dead before he ever arrives...

"Are you feeling okay, Mr Stark?" asks the cab driver. Tony nods back mutely. No, he is not. He is feeling many things- including apprehensive, excited and more than a little hungover- but okay was most certainly not one of them.

"Just a bit carsick," he manages to force out, and the driver nods understandingly.

"Well, don't worry, sir- we're only about five minutes away."

Oh god.

He hasn't slept in two days, not since he'd gotten the news. He'd been in a bar when his phone first rang, and he'd ignored it- no way was he going to listen to Rhodey whine about whatever when sitting across from him was this year's Miss America. It was only the way home that he checked the voicemail.

_"Hello, Mr Stark, this is Josephine Brooks, calling on behalf of your cousin Pepper Potts. There was an awful fire last night, and, well... Mr and Mrs Potts were killed. Pepper managed to get out with only minor burns, but she's in desperate need of some emotional support, and you're her only remaining family. I'd appreciate if you could call me back; okay, bye!"_

Without a second thought, he'd spun his car around- he needed to get to the airport.

But now, with the plane landed and the car very nearly there, he's wondering if this wasn't a very bad idea. It's been a decade since he last saw her beam, since he last heard her voice. She's eighteen, having graduated from highschool only a month ago. She'll have changed; things will have changed. For a second he's tempted to tell the driver to turn around, to call the whole thing off.

But he thinks of fishing and swimming and s'mores, of wide eyes earnestly explaining why he can't swear, of card games and cut lips and a clearing full of broken children. Pepper fixing Bruce up, Pepper punching Justin Hammer, Pepper explaining why she wants to be like him. He's thought of these things a thousand times, a million times, staring at the roof of his ceiling after another day alone, and he knows why he can't just leave her when she needs him most.

The car passes under the footbridge and through the main part of town, past the dollar store and the candy shop and the mini-market, the diner with the best breakfast in the state and the alleyway where they first found Steve. Past the turnoff to the footpath that leads through the woods, and into the suburbs. He can count down the houses now: five left, four left, three left, two left, a blackened mess where a house used to be, and stupid Tony, how would she live in a house that burned down?

He gets out the car, stomach clenching. The shack looks awful- most of it is cinders on the floor, but there are still a few beams standing, charred and unearthly. The houses on either side are miraculously untouched, and now, as he looks, the door of the house on the left opens.

"Tony?" asks a voice.

She is stood in the doorway, clutching the handle shakily, her massive eyes red rimmed from crying. Her ginger hair falls down to her waist in a long wave, her skin as freckly as it ever was, and she looks as though she's seen a ghost.

"Pepper?" he whispers, and his cousin sprints out the house, straight into his arms, only to break down in tears.

"Tony," she hiccups, pressing her face to his shoulder. "Oh my god, Tony, it's you. You're really here! You're... oh my god. How did you know? No, nevermind. I'm sorry, I just, I just..."

"Shh, shh," he soothes, stroking her hair and rocking her gently like he used to do when they were little. "I gotcha. I gotcha. It's okay, Pepper, I gotcha."

It's completely surreal. Subvert letters smuggled in and out of his houses are nothing compared to standing here with her, talking to her, just being with her. The air smells like smoke, but under that it smells the same as it always did, heady with summer and barbecue, forest and car fumes. Tony pays the taxi driver and sends him away before taking Pepper gently by the arm and leading her to the diner.

"The funeral is next week," she tells him miserably. "I'm staying with my neighbour until then, but after that... after that I don't know. I just... I've got no money, and the house is gone, and," she looks at him, eyes huge, "I just want to get away from here, There's nothing here for me, and I... I need to get away from here." He gives her a sad smile.

"I can do that. I don't know if you know, but I've just finished a new building, up in New York. My stuff is being moved in as we speak, and once the funeral is over we're going to go up together and you're going to live with me, as long as you need. Okay?" She nods and her face crumples, like she's forcing back tears. "Until then, no dwelling on what's happened- we're going to keep ourselves busy."

"How?"

"We're going to track down our old friends."

They begin first thing the next morning. Tony barely knows anything of what happened in the decade he was gone, and it turns out that Pepper doesn't know a lot either. After Tony and Thorki left, it was one event after another, until they were split and sent every which way, unable to get in touch. Tragedy appears to have dogged every one of them, appearing at every turn, but by evening they have found Steve, one town over and living in a decrepit flat off his army handout. His eyes are haunted and he flinches at loud noises. The flat is tiny and smells of mildew, in the rougher part of town, sparsely furnished with nothing personal. Tony ignores the rational part of his brain screaming at him to stop, because what does it matter if they argued a lot as kids and if they hadn't seen each other in years? Steve is a friend, and he clearly needs help, so the offer to live in Stark Tower is extended to him too.

Bruce is with an aunt in a house in the middle of nowhere, about forty minutes away from the backwater town. He is twenty now, working the graveyard shift at a newsagents, and when they arrive his aunt is screaming at him to just get out, to get out of her house and get out of life, because you were never any use to anyone Bruce Banner. He's clutching a suitcase and blinking back tears and she shoves him down the stairs of the porch. They pick him up and take him to the diner, and he explains how he was saving for college, but now he'll have to use that money to find somewhere to stay, he supposes, because he's got no family left. Tony stops him right there- he can live at Stark Tower, and Tony will fund his college, because if his friend is half as smart as he remembers him being then there is now way he will waste his life polishing floors and washing dishes.

It takes them four days to track down Clintasha. They are on the other side of the state, living with their adoptive father, who is-

"Wait," says Tony, eyes bulging. "Coulson adopted you?! Coulson? Agent Coulson?" The man in the suit, who was slightly older and slightly balder than before, sighed.

"I'm still not an agent Tony, and I still don't have a badge." Tony flushes, because he remembers just how blatantly he and Pepper had lied to this man. Coulson, however, just smirks and gives him a knowing look.

They are both twenty, and looking to move out. They want somewhere in the big city, because they've got big plans for their lives. Plans that are actually pretty clever, business-wise, and Tony offers them a place at Stark Towers, as well as funding, because, hey- why not?

And then they day before the funeral, Pepper picks up the newspaper, only to drop it with a shriek and yell for Tony. The headline reads **Anarchy in Asgard,** with a subheading reading** A millennia old monarchy collapses in just a few short days**. They scan through, reading about the scandal at the coronation and the truth of Loki 'Odinson's' parentage. Bruce produces an old slip of paper, crumpled from being folded and unfolded so many times, with a phone number printed on it.

"The Odinson's private number," he explains, and Tony gives them a call with an offer of refuge at Stark Towers because by this point, there's really no sense in doing anything else.

The day after the funeral they board the Stark private jet, excited yet nervous for their new life together. Pepper's eyes are red, with deep bags underneath- she's clearly been crying all night. All of Bruce's possessions fit a single, tiny suitcase, and all of Steve's fit into an even tinier rucksack. Clint and Tasha have a habit of sitting back to back whenever possible, and are tense when the other is not around. Tony is anxious and trying to hide it when his phone goes off.

_Plane about to leave. Will arrive about half an hour after you. Thor says greetings. L_

Before he can text back, it buzzes again.

_Small possibility that Thor will not survive to the end of this flight. Will that be a problem for you? L_

And then it buzzes a third time, with a text from a different number.

_GREETINGS FRIEND TONY! DO NOT LISTEN TO WHAT LOKI SAYS! IT IS ALL LIES, I PROMISE YOU!_

He shakes his head and puts the phone away with a smile, preparing for take off. Bad idea or not, one thing is for sure- his life is about to get a lot more interesting.

* * *

**Five years later**

"You two! Get out of here and go get changed, NOW!" He and Bruce both freeze, looking at each other guiltily. They don't know which ginger woman is on the other side of that door- Pepper and Tasha planned the event together- but they know better than to risk incurring her wrath.

They are up in the lab, planning their biggest project yet, dubbed the 'Iron Man Suit' by Clint. It will actually be made from a titanium/gold alloy, but that didn't deter the Olympic archer, and now the name has stuck. However, it will have to wait, because the charity event starts in an hour, and they're covered in ink and grease, in ratty old jeans and even rattier shirts.

Once showered and changed, they head downstairs to meet the others. Guests will be arriving soon, and everything is perfect. He has to hand it to them- they are exceptional planners, most likely to do with Pepper being so ridiculously organised. He's offered before to hire her as his assistant, but she laughed in his face, effectively shooting down that idea.

"Greetings, friends!" booms Thor as he appears, closely followed by Loki. "Lady Pepper, I am sorry for having asked this before, but I must be sure- is the Lady Jane going to be here tonight?" They all smirk- Thor has been infatuated with the astrophysicist for months, and tonight is the night- or so he has told them- that he will ask her out for coffee.

"Yes, she is," says Pepper kindly, before turning to Loki with a wink. "Darcy will be here too, you know?" The pale ex-prince scowls and turns away to hide his blush. Clint sidles up to Tasha and hugs her from behind.

"I'm going to be dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room tonight," he murmurs. Tasha rolls her eyes and gives him a quick kiss while Tony makes gagging noises.

"You know, Tony," says Steve, whose hand is intertwined with Pepper's, "I wouldn't be so quick to judge. If all goes well for Loki and Thor tonight, you'll be the last single person in the group!"

"And what am I?" protests Bruce. "Sliced salami?"

"Guess you two will just have to hook up," smirks Tasha, and they all laugh. As the conversation moves on, Tony catches Bruce's eye. They haven't told them yet- Tony's known he's bisexual since he was fifteen and drunkenly kissed a guy out back of one of his father's parties, but it was a bit of an identity crisis for Bruce, and he's still getting used to the idea. They're going to do it soon, though, they've decided. Soon, but not tonight. Tonight is one of the Avengers'- as the public has, rather strangely, taken to calling them- social gatherings, famous throughout the country for the good company, the genial atmosphere, and the fact that as well as truffles and caviar, there is always a plate of peanut butter sandwiches being served as well.

"Sir," announces Jarvis, who Tony finally finished last year; "Phil Coulson has arrived, and is waiting in the entrance." Pepper beams brightly.

"Time to go greet the guests!" They head down, Clintasha taking the lead- they are eager to see their adopted father again.

The halls of Stark Tower are lined with various photos and paintings, and as they head down they pass Tony's favourite one. No one else has noticed it- it's not a commonly used hall, off to the side, and on the floor that's only ever opened up for social functions- and he doubts they will, but he doesn't mind

It's a photo- the angle is slightly wonky, like the camera was badly balanced, and it has discoloured in the years since it was taken. There is a rip down the middle from where an irate father tore it in two that has been stuck back together with sellotape, and it has a hundred creases from where it was folded a hundred times. It is the photo from the last day with them all together, smiling and laughing and goofing around with each other. As far as Tony is concerned, it is the most valuable item in Stark Tower.

* * *

**The companion pieces will cover what happened in the decade between last chapter and this- it will fill in all the holes and explain what everyone was up to. I don't know when I'll get them up- hopefully by Christmas, but I'm staring down the barrel of a pretty busy few weeks so I can't promise anything. In the meantime, I'd like to say thank you to everyone for being such lovely readers and reviewers! You're all fantastic, and without you I wouldn't have bothered to write this story at all!**

**THANK YOU!**

**Meercatwhisperer112**


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